How to Make Fresh Whole Wheat Pasta Dough
Making pasta from scratch requires a little extra time and attention, but it’s 100% worth the effort! This easy, step-by-step recipe will teach you how to make fresh whole wheat pasta dough at home with just 6 simple ingredients! I include my top tips for ensuring the dough comes out soft and easy to shape into fettuccine, penne, or whatever noodle type you crave!
Servings: 10 servings
Equipment
- Pasta roller or rolling pin
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ⅓-⅔ cup water This is a variable. Mine too about ½ cup of water, but I can see you could definitely need more on some days.
Instructions
Mix in Food Processor
- Add all ingredients in a food processor. Mix to combine. You will want the dough to only be slightly wet, if it is too wet, you will never be able to roll it. After it is combined, remove it from the food processor and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and allow it to rest for 45-60 minutes.
Mix by Hand
- Combine your flours and salt on the surface. Mount the flours and create a well in the center. Add eggs, water, and olive oil to the well. Mix wet ingredients with a fork. Slowly begin mixing out further to start adding in flour. Once it has gotten to the point it is difficult to mix with a fork, start to knead the dough. Need for one minute and then cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then continue needing for at least 4-6 minutes, until smooth. Cover and allow it to rest for 45-60 minutes.
Roll and Cut Pasta
- Once the dough has had a chance to rest, start rolling. I divided the dough into 6 pieces. Flour each piece and either roll with a pasta roller or rolling pin.
- Shape as you like- I created fettuccini, but you can create any shape you like.
- If you don't have a pasta roller, you can also use a rolling pin and cut it with a sharp knife.
Cook the Pasta
- Bring about 12 cups of water to a boil. Once it is boiling, add 1-2 tablespoons of salt.
- Add in the fresh pasta and cook for 3-8 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of the pasta you have made. The pasta should be cooked to al dente.
- Drain and it is ready to use!
Video
Notes
- Whole wheat pasta absorbs more moisture than regular flour. When you are making your dough, make sure the dough feels moist to your touch. You don't want it to be too wet, but certainly moist.
- It is really important to give the dough a chance to rest. It will roll so much easier if the dough is relaxed. Do not skip this step.
- There is a good variety of whole wheat flour that will work in this recipe. My personal favorites are white wheat, spelt, and kamut flour. You can also use rye and red wheat if you like.
- You can make this pasta in the morning and cook it later that day. This makes mealtimes a breeze. Fresh pasta cooks so quickly, it takes about 3 minutes!
- This pasta can be shaped and formed in a variety of ways. I made this into fettuccini, but you can make any shape you like!