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–+ servings
homemade pasta on a baking sheet dusted with semolina flour.

Homemade Pasta Without Any Special Equipment

5 from 1 review
Making homemade pasta without any special equipment (no pasta machine needed here!) is easier and way more fun than you might think. All you need is semolina flour, water, a few simple tools and four of my favorite hand-shaped pasta ideas to get you started!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 1

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions 

For the dough:
  1. Add 100 grams of semolina flour to a medium bowl. Drizzle in 50 grams of water and mix with your hands. It will look crumbly, but then it will quickly turn into a tacky dough. Give a few big presses against the bowl to form it into a mound. If you feel it is too dry, add 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time. You want the consistency of clay.
  2. Move the dough to an unfloured work surface. Knead it with the palm of your hand for 2-4 minutes, until it is a smooth ball. The more you knead it, the smoother it will get. If there are cracks in the dough, continue to add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time and knead it in. You will know it’s ready when it is fully smooth, a bit stiff, and malleable like clay.
  3. When you have a smooth ball, let it rest for 2-5 minutes before making your pasta.
To make orecchiette:
  1. Portion the dough into two pieces and roll the out into long logs, about 1-2 cm thick. Cut down the log as if you are making gnocchi. Take each piece of dough and use the bench scraper to press down on the furthest side from you, pull the bench scraper towards you, flattening the piece of dough and causing it to turn into a little boat. Turn this “boat” inside out with your thumb, and you’ll have orecchiette!
    homemade orecchiette on the counter.
  2. Dust with semolina flour and move the pieces to a baking sheet.
To make a simpler gemelli:
  1. Portion the dough into two pieces and roll the out into long logs, about 1-2 cm thick. Cut down the log, making very small pieces around 1/4 cm thick. Position the piece of pasta at a 45° angle compared to the edge of your bench scraper, then gently roll the bench scraper from the top of the piece to the bottom, easing into a curl.
    shaping homemade gemelli with a bench scraper.
  2. Dust with semolina flour and move the pieces to a baking sheet.
To make a sauce-gripping pasta:
  1. Portion the dough into two pieces and roll the out into long logs, about 1 cm thick. Cut down the log as if you are making gnocchi. Take each piece of dough and press it down into the back of a fork, use your thumb to gently roll the pasta off of the fork, creating an indented, curled pasta shape. This one is exceptional for sauce-clinging.
    shaping homemade gripper shaped pasta with a fork.
  2. Dust with semolina flour and move the pieces to a baking sheet.
To make halfway-ravioli:
  1. Lightly dust the dough with semolina flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it out as thin as it can possibly get. You will want to be able to see your finger tips through it. Add flour as needed. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 2-inch square pieces. Use the back of a fork to imprint lines in the dough.
    shaping homemade ravioli with a fork.
  2. Dust with semolina flour and move the pieces to a baking sheet.
To cook the pasta:
  1. Each of these pasta varieties will boil for 4-6 minutes. Once they are floating, they are usually done. For best results, boil in salted water.
Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 13gFat: 1g