Making pasta dough from scratch can be interactive and fun! Traditionally type 00 flour (a very finely ground flour with the texture of baby powder) is used, but cake wheat flour works well, too.   

Homemade pasta dough 

Serves 4-6 

Use this dough to create tagliatelle, lasagne sheets or ravioli.  

Place 1 cup flour onto a large surface in a heap, sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt. Make a deep well in the centre. Whisk 1 egg and 1 Tbsp olive oil together and add to the well. Using a fork, slowly work flour into the egg, working from the inside and moving outwards, until it starts to form a sticky dough. Knead for a few seconds, adding extra flour if needed, until smooth. Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and set aside to rest for 30 minutes before shaping.  

Try these different home-friendly flavour variations using our MyKitchen pasta dough as a base. 

Green

Steam 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves and blitz to create a paste. Whisk into the egg mixture before adding it to the flour. 

Red  

Fry 2-4 Tbsp tomato paste in a hot pan for 30 seconds, until lightly browned (this removes the sharp acidic taste of raw tomato). Stir into the egg mixture before adding to the flour.  

Purple  

Add 2-4 Tbsp juice from pickled beetroot to your egg mixture before adding to the flour. This dough will require a bit more flour to make up for the extra liquid content.  

Yellow

Add 1/2-1 tsp ground turmeric powder to your flour, adding more as needed if you desire a bolder colour. 

Heyto potato 

Made from potatoes, semolina or ricotta, gnocchi are little ‘pillows’ of dough that are boiled until just tender. Here are our tips to achieving the best gnocchi: 

• Place whole unpeeled potatoes onto a baking tray covered with coarse salt. Then, prick potatoes all over with a fork. The salt (which is hydroscopic) will draw out the moisture, ensuring a fluffier end product. Pricking the potatoes with a fork allows the moisture to be released.  
• Bake potatoes at 200°C for about 30-40 minutes or until soft.  
• It’s important to remove potato flesh from the skin while hot as once it cools, it tends to stick to the skin, making it trickier to remove. Doing this also makes it easier to mash until smooth, eliminating the chance of creating lumps.  
• To make the dough, add the flour in batches. All you need is for the mixture to come together to form a smooth, sour dough.  
• Do not overwork as this will strengthen the gluten strands and create a tough, rubbery gnocchi.  
• Leftover skins – don’t through the skins away, toss them in olive oil and seasoning of choice. Bake at 180°C in an air fryer (for about 8-12 minutes) until crispy and golden. Top with dollops of cream cheese, crispy bacon and avocado for a snack.  

Words by: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons