Simple Homemade Sourdough Pasta: A Recipe from the Farm

Last Updated on October 25, 2023 by TheFarmChicken

Sourdough pasta is such a simple and delicious thing to make. If you are looking for a simple yet fun food to try, this just might be it! I think homemade pasta in general is so pretty! This is getting filed under Fancy Farm Food. The first time I made homemade pasta was when my husband introduced it to me; I was impressed but also shocked at how simple it is. His grandma and mom both make noodles, and they are a family favorite. They will usually serve the noodles cooked in broth. It is very good! Let’s take a deep dive into all things Simple Homemade Sourdough Pasta: A Recipe from the Farm.

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This sourdough pasta recipe is…

    four ingredients, five minutes kneading, and a thirty minute to twenty-four-hour rest…

…and you will have a pasta dough ready to roll. And roll into so many different shapes and kinds! Pasta dough is so versatile! What is your favorite shape of pasta? We will look at more below.

The Simple Ingredients:

Flour

I use a high-quality all-purpose flour for my pasta. Dakota Maid makes a great flour.

Salt

I like to use kosher salt and I usually only add a little salt to my sourdough pasta. I also boil the finished pasta in salted water.

Sourdough Discard

One of the nice things about this recipe is the ability to use up some sourdough discard. This also gives the pasta a great flavor and texture.

Sourdough discard is when you have fed your starter and then have extra that you don’t plan to bake with when it is at its peak. It then becomes sourdough discard, and you can use it for recipes like this, tortillas, quick breads, etc.

Using sourdough starter in your baking and cooking it has added health benefits and improves the digestibility of many breads and baked goods.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, check out Learning Sourdough with Agnes to start working with sourdough! So worth it!

Whole Eggs

I use our farm fresh eggs in this pasta recipe. It makes the pasta dough quite yellow. Just note that if you make it using store-bought egg the color may be lighter.

After you have made the pasta dough the options are endless when it comes to the desired shape you would like your pasta. Below I have some of our favorites, but you can also experiment and see what you like best!

Kneading the Pasta:

When you are kneading the pasta, it will seem quite dry. There is no need to add more water. By the time you are done with the kneading it should come together no problem, it just takes a little bit of kneading to get the dry parts worked in. Here are two pictures that show the start of the kneading process and after the dough has been kneaded for 5 minutes.

Different pasta shapes and how to make them:

Fettuccine

Fettuccine is a very commonly used and heard of pasta. Fettuccines are flat strings of pasta that are about ¼ inch thick. They are wider than Linguine.

To make by hand:

Roll your pasta dough out thinly and then roll it in a loose roll. Cut with a sharp knife at about ¼ inch wide.

Linguine

Linguine are flat strings of pasta about half as thick as fettuccine. They are about 1/8 inch wide.

To Make by Hand:

Take and roll out your pasta dough thinly. I have found it easiest to cut these with a pizza cutter with a steady hand. Cut pasta into 1/8-inch strips for linguine. Dry the fresh sourdough pasta or boil!

Lasagna

Lasagna noodles are used for just that, Lasagna! And using fresh pasta for your lasagna just brings it to the next level. Boil the noodles and layer them in your lasagna or dry the lasagna noodles and they will be like pasta sheets.

To Make by Hand:

Roll out your pasta dough until it is thin and then with a sharp knife cut it into strips about 11 inches long and 3 inches wide. One batch of dough makes enough pasta for 1 lasagna.

My From Scratch Lasagna Recipe is coming soon!

Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta)

This is probably one of my favorite pastas to make by hand! They are like little bowties.

To Make by Hand:

Roll out your pasta dough until it is thin. Then with the pizza cutter trim the sides to make them even and then make 2.5” x 2.5” squares. If you want them to have the fancy crimped edge on the one side of the pasta squares cut the dough with a pastry wheel.

Next take a square in your hand. Fold it in half just at the center then fold the edges back on itself. Pinch in the center. You have bowtie pasta!

Ravioli

This one is so pretty and fun! I have a post all about making ravioli, be sure to check it out!

If you are wanting to make other pasta shapes you could invest in a pasta attachment for a KitchenAid. This attachment I found works for rotini, macaroni, penne, and spaghetti.

How to Dry Pasta:

Drying pasta is a pretty straight forward process. Lay the pasta like lasagna noodles on a drying rack and hang noodles like linguine or fettuccine.

Make sure to let the pasta dry in a single layer. Stacking the pasta will make it hard to dry thoroughly.

You will know the pasta is dry when you break it, and it snaps. You want to make sure the pasta is dried through before storing it.

Storing the pasta:

You can store homemade sourdough pasta in an airtight container or bag. You can freeze the dried pasta if you want a longer shelf life.

There are a lot of factors such as humidity that can make your homemade pasta spoil faster so if you don’t plan to use it soon you will be safer to store it in the fridge for a couple days or the freezer for a longer shelf life.

The Tools and Special Equipment:

Most and maybe all of these you do not really need. But you may decide to get a few or all of them to make the process simpler. That is one of the things that I love about making pasta homemade it doesn’t take a bunch of special tools!

• Pasta Drying Rack
• Pasta Roller
• Pastry Cutter
• Pasta Maker

To use a pasta maker or not to use a pasta maker/pasta machine?

Using a rolling pin is my favorite way to make pasta. Probably a little more time consuming but I love that it doesn’t require me to get a pasta maker out and clean it etc… Rolling out pasta takes a little patience and some muscle but it can be done and can be done well and thin.

1. Simply dust a clean work surface with flour.
2. Place half the dough into the center of the surface.
3. Roll out using a rolling pin.

Note: If it seems to be stiff let it rest for 5-10 minutes on the counter and then finish rolling it out.

The rest period is a lot of preference and when you need the sourdough pasta dough. If you let it rest for 30 minutes, it will be ready to use but leaving it for a longer rest adds a longer fermentation process.

Try the linguine or fettuccine with this homemade alfredo sauce recipe. The ultimate comfort food pasta dish!

Pin for Later:

Simple Homemade Sourdough Pasta: A Recipe from the Farm

• 300 grams all-purpose flour
• dash of kosher salt
• 150 grams sourdough discard
• 2 whole eggs, room temperature

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pasta Option:

• 100 grams all-purpose flour
• 40 grams whole wheat flour
• dash of Kosher Salt
• 150 grams sourdough starter
• 2 whole eggs, room temperature

• On a clean work surface, take the measured flour and make a well with your hand. Next add the salt, sourdough discard and eggs into the center of the well of flour. Slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients in the center and start mixing and kneading to incorporate all the ingredients.
• Knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough will seem dry but DO NOT add more water. It will incorporate at the end of the 5 minutes.
• You can also do this part in a bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. I prefer working with pasta dough with my hands, but the stand mixer would work too!
• When you are done kneading the dough, place it tightly in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• After the 30-minute rest take the dough and place it on a floured surface clean and using a rolling pin roll the dough out very thin. If it seems to have resistance, then let it rest for 5-10 more minutes and then finish rolling it after that.
• Once you have it rolled out into a square or rectangular shape you can now cut and shape the pasta into the desired shape.

Lasagna:

3” x 11”

Fettuccine:

¼” x 11”

Linguine:

1/8” x 11”

Farfalle or Bowtie:

2.5” x 2.5”

To Cook the Pasta:

• Add a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt to a large pot of boiling water.
• When the water is boiling drop the pasta into the water.

Cooking fresh sourdough pasta:

• 2-3 minutes or until al dente

Dried Pasta:

• 5-6 minutes or until al dente

Lasagna Noodles

• Fresh: 3-5 minutes
• Dried: 5-7 minutes

Semolina Flour:

Semolina flour is a coarse texture flour. It is made of durum wheat. Semolina flour is commonly used in pasta and its higher protein content makes for less sticky pasta dough. Semolina flour does seem to be more expensive so I will stick with a high-quality all-purpose flour, but I would like to try semolina flour sometime.

Fresh homemade pasta is simple and hard to beat. Pair it with your favorite sauce and you will have a filling and delicious meal. Let me know below if you have any questions. Please leave a review too! Thank you!

Mariah N. | TheFarmChicken

Shop this Post:

• Pasta Drying Rack
• Gram Scale
• Pizza Cutter/Cutting wheel
• Pastry Cutter

FAQs:

Is sourdough good for you?

Sourdough’s biggest contribution to making pasta “healthier” is probably the fact that it breaks down some of the harder to digest parts of wheat and makes it easier to digest.

Does pasta dough need eggs?

Yes, generally every kind of pasta has eggs in the recipe.

Does homemade pasta dough need to rest?

Yes, it gives the dough a chance to relax and also allows the flour to absorb the rest of the wet ingredients.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalms 19:7