This is the pasta dough you'll return to again and again. It's forgiving, reliable, and works beautifully for ribbons, filled pastas, or simple cut shapes. Once you've made it a few times, you'll develop a feel for the dough—and the rhythm of making dough by hand turns a chore into a meditative practice!
Overview
Every kitchen behaves differently—use your own judgment with ingredients, allergens, and doneness cues.
This is a simple, all-purpose egg pasta dough made with a blend of Italian 00 flour and semolina. The 00 flour gives it a silky texture, while the semolina adds structure and a pleasant chew. This dough is easy to work with, rolls smoothly, and holds its shape beautifully.
Ingredients
- 200g (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour or Italian 00 flour
- 50g (⅓ cup) semolina flour
- 3 large eggs (whole)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, for easier handling)
- Pinch of salt
Method
1. Make the well
- Mix both flours and salt on a clean counter.
- Make a well in the center—large enough to hold the eggs without spilling.
2. Add the eggs
- Crack eggs into the well.
- Add olive oil if using (it makes the dough slightly easier to handle).
3. Bring it together
- Beat eggs with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the edges.
- Once it becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to bring it into a shaggy dough.
4. Knead
- Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- The dough should feel soft and pliable like play-doh—not sticky, not dry.
- If too dry, wet your hands and knead in moisture. If too sticky, add flour gradually.
5. Rest -- This is very important!
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
- Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes minimum (up to 2 hours is even better).
- This step is non-negotiable—it relaxes the gluten and makes rolling much easier.
6. Roll and shape
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces and keep the rest covered.
- Roll thin using a pasta machine or rolling pin.
- Cut into your desired shape—fettuccine, pappardelle, lasagne sheets, or filled pasta.
Tips & Notes
Dough texture: Should feel soft and pliable like play-doh, not sticky or dry. If too dry, wet your hands and knead in moisture. If too sticky, add flour gradually.
Flour options: Regular US all-purpose flour works great! Italian 00 and Semilina flour creates a slightly silkier texture with enough structure to stand up to just about any type of sauce. But, either works beautifully. See our post on types of flour in the Cooking page.
Egg vs. No Egg:For no-egg pasta 100% semolina flour is a better bet in terms of workability, in a ratio of 2 to 1. Two parts flour to 1 part water. As long as you are not using any animal fats, this type of pasta is considered vegan.
Oil vs. No Oil:You can either add oil or not but, generally speaking, it helps with the feel and pliability of the dough. Traditional Italian pasta only uses olive oil. If using 200 grams of flour, use 1 tablespoon of oil.
Storage: Wrapped tightly, dough keeps in the fridge for 24 hours or can be frozen for up to 1 month - but thaw overnight in the fridge. Let the dough come up to room temperature before using.
Scaling: Recipe easily doubles or triples. Keep the 5:1 flour-to-egg ratio (250g flour to 3 eggs).
Cooking fresh pasta: Boil in well-salted water for at least 2-4 minutes. Fresh pasta cooks fast but doneness can be a personal thing. We prefer al dente (to the tooth) where there is still some chew, plus if you are placing this directly into your sauce, the pasta will continue to cook. The size and shape of your pasta can also influence how long it needs to boil. Trial and error is your friend in this case.