Basic recipe for Italian pasta dough with egg (+3 variations)

In this article, I present a classic basic recipe for pasta dough with egg. Egg pasta dough is particularly at home in northern Italy, where people eat more filled pasta.

This pasta dough is soft and easy to work with. Due to its elasticity and stretchiness, it is usually rolled out into thin sheets, which can then be further processed into filled pasta pockets or tagliatelle.

The recipe has been tried and tested millions of times and is guaranteed to work!

Make your own pasta dough with egg in 5 steps – here’s how

To make a good egg batter, you only need 3 ingredients, here is the recipe:

The dough can be prepared without any special utensils, all you need is a large work surface (preferably made of wood), a dough scraper (can also be used by hand), a fork and cling film.

The working time is about 15 minutes, after which the dough should rest for about 30 minutes before you process it further.

Step 1: Form a flour well and beat the eggs in it to create a viscous mixture

First, I empty the flour onto the work surface and use 400 grams of flour to form a hollow about 15 centimetres wide with a base 1 centimetre thick.

I then sprinkle in the salt and eggs.

I break the yolks with a fork and whisk the egg mixture. Then I gradually incorporate the flour from the outer wall and the flour base without creating an opening.

Step 2: Scrape the flour onto the egg mixture from each side to form a crumbly dough

As soon as a “mushy” mass has formed, I run the dough scraper under the flour base from each side and fold it over the hollow.

I then pass the mixture through several times to create a crumbly dough.

Step 3: Press the crumbs together to form a lump of dough

Next, I scrape the flour residue from my dough scraper and continue with my hands. To do this, I press the dough crumbs together into a lump.

If the mixture does not want to form a lump, you can add a large amount of water (Fig. 2).

The remaining dough crumbs on the work surface are worked into the dough in the next step.

If you have any difficulties with this step, you can find tips for brittle pasta dough here.

Step 4: Knead the dough into a ball for about 8 minutes

There are several kneading techniques, one of which I find particularly effective:

Apply forward pressure to the dough with the heel of your hand. Pull the dough back again with the other hand, turning it slightly by about 45°. Repeat the process until all the dough crumbs have been worked in.

Knead the dough for at least 8 minutes or until the surface is silky to the touch and no longer sticky.

If the dough still sticks to your hands, sprinkle flour on the work surface and work it in.

Step 5: Wrap the pasta dough in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes

Once the pasta dough has the right consistency, you can wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.

The resting time is important because the protein chains, which are responsible for the stretchiness of the dough, rearrange themselves. This is the only way to roll out the dough thinly without it returning to its original shape.

You can find out more about this here: Why does pasta dough need to rest?

Continued: Making fresh egg noodles yourself

You have successfully made pasta dough for fresh egg noodles!

Now all you have to do is shape it into delicious pasta and prepare a suitable sauce.

Here are the instructions for Italian tagliatelle with egg.

Variations for pasta dough with egg

The basic recipe for pasta dough with egg is a great starter recipe, but it can be varied by adding different types of flour or pure egg yolk to influence the consistency, taste and color.

Instead of making a pure pasta dough from soft wheat flour, you can try a 50/50 mix with durum wheat semolina.

The additional semolina gives the dough more bite without completely losing the flexibility and flavor of an egg-based dough.

Of course, there are many other possible combinations. Vary the ratios next time and find out which mixture you like best!

A second variation gives the egg batter a beautiful, bright yellow color. The additional egg yolk makes the dough more flexible and more suitable for filled pasta.

How much pasta dough do you need per person?

On average, you should expect 200 grams of pasta dough per person for a main course and 100 grams for a starter. Depending on how hungry you are and the size of the side dish, you can vary between 150 and 250 grams (main course) or between 75 and 125 grams (starter) of pasta dough.

Depending on the dish, this gives you a portion of between 400 and 550 grams, according to the Apotheken Umschau recommendation.

As the right amount is still subjective, I have written an article here about the quantities for pasta dough.

Storing pasta dough with egg

There are several methods for storing pasta dough with egg.

In this article you will find all the information you need about the shelf life of pasta dough.

Here is a detailed guide to freezing pasta dough.

Here I show you how I prepare my pasta dough in large quantities.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this article, please write me a comment!

Here are three more articles that might interest you:

• Make your own pasta dough: the complete guide
• Make your own pasta dough with durum wheat semolina
• Make your own pasta dough with spinach

Have fun making your own pasta!