Eggless Pasta Dough


This recipe is as simple as they come. All you need is All-purpose flour and water. Apparently during the war when eggs were scarce, this pasta became very popular. It goes great with almost any sauce, but my Mother-In-Law likes to serve it with a fresh pea sauce or a light fresh tomato sauce.

The directions are given to be made by hand, but you certainly could use a hand cranked pasta machine instead. This is one of those recipes where exact measurements are difficult as it depends on the flour used, the temperature of the water, and even atmospheric humidity.

I have used semolina flour with water, and half semolina flour and half all-purpose flour depending on what I wanted to use it for. I find the addition of semolina flour adds a bit of structure to the dough which works well with short or shaped pasta types.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Eggless Pasta

Eggless Pasta

Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Great for folks with egg allergies, or for a more simple pasta dish.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose Unbleached Flour (Or Mix of Semolina & All-purpose Flour - See Note Above)
  • Water

Instructions

  1. Make a mound on the counter with the flour and create a well in the center.
  2. Add the salt, and slowly start slowly pouring in the water, mixing with your fingers between each addition. (You know you have added enough water when you can bring the flour together in a ball.)
  3. Begin to knead the dough until it is smooth. (At this point the dough should resemble stiff bread dough.)
  4. Wrap in plastic and let sit 20 minutes before rolling.
  5. To roll, take a 6 inch ball of dough and place on a lightly floured surface.
  6. Begin to roll into a flat disc, and roll from front to back, turning the dough clockwise about 1/4 turn after every few rolls of the pin.
  7. Once the dough is stretched enough to roll around the pin, begin by rolling the dough towards you wrapping it around the pin as you go.
  8. Keep the dough well floured to prevent sticking.
  9. Once the dough is rolled to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch it is ready to cut.
  10. Ensure the surface of the dough is lightly floured, and start to roll it up into a tube.
  11. You can either cut it into fettuccine or into triangular pieces.
  12. Place on a floured baking sheet and let dry until you are ready to use it.
  13. To cut into triangular pieces, start cutting at an angle, about 1/2 inch wide pieces, starting at the center of the tube end.
  14. Continue to cut until complete, and dry as described for the other pasta.
  15. To complete the pasta, cook in boiling salted water until al dente.
  16. Top with your favorite sauce and serve piping hot.

Did you make this recipe?

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9 Comments

  1. I tried it with all purpose flour, no semolina, the 2nd time making pasta dough. The texture was more like saimin noodles rather than store bought Italian pasta, and the noodles were kind of shiny. Last time I made pasta with semolina, some all purpose flour, and an egg. The texture and flavor were better w/ that version. Wondering how an eggless all semolina pasta dough would cook up.

    1. It’s my favorite recipe for certain pastas. Semolina and water. After mixing, let the dough rest in the refridgerator for several hours or overnight covered so no air is exposed to the dough, otherwise it will develop a crust. Thats it. You will have to experiment with the flour to water ratio. Different brands of flour have different moisture contents. Enjoy!

  2. Hi. Thanks for the recipe. When I boil the pasta it broke into small pieces . How do we know when it is cooked?

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