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Egg Pasta Dough

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on February 2, 2024

Time

15 minutes

Yield

about 1 pound

Egg Pasta Dough

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed2 large eggs plus 6 large yolks2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Before You Begin

If using a high-protein all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur, increase the number of egg yolks to seven.

Instructions

    for mixing and kneading with a machine

  1. Process flour, eggs and yolks, and oil together in food processor until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 45 seconds. (If dough sticks to fingers, add up to ¼ cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until barely tacky. If dough doesn’t become cohesive, add up to 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together; process 30 seconds longer.)
  2. for mixing and kneading by hand

  3. Place flour in large bowl. Using fork, mix eggs, egg yolks, and oil together in separate bowl, then stir into flour. Using your hands, knead dough in bowl until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 3 minutes. (If dough sticks to fingers after 3 minutes, add up to ¼ cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until barely tacky. If dough doesn’t become cohesive, add up to 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together; knead 1 minute longer.)
  4. Transfer dough to clean surface and knead by hand to form smooth, uniform ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape dough into 6-inch-long cylinder. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Egg Pasta Dough
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere.

Egg Pasta Dough

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

15 minutes

Yield

about 1 pound

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
2 large eggs plus 6 large yolks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
2 large eggs plus 6 large yolks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
2 large eggs plus 6 large yolks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Why This Recipe Works

Use this tender, easy-to-roll dough for strand pasta, lasagna sheets, filled pasta, and any shape that you hand-cut from pasta sheets, such as farfalle, garganelli, and maltagliati. Six egg yolks, in addition to two whole eggs and a couple tablespoons of olive oil, make the dough incredibly supple while also adding great flavor. The addition of olive oil is a debated topic in Italy, but we find that it makes the dough easier to roll while still keeping it springy and delicate. In fact, you can roll this dough either in a manual pasta maker or by hand. Resting the dough for at least 30 minutes allows the gluten—the protein network that forms when flour and liquid interact and that makes doughs chewy—time to relax so that the dough won’t contract after rolling out in a pasta machine or by hand.

Before You Begin

If using a high-protein all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur, increase the number of egg yolks to seven.

Instructions

    for mixing and kneading with a machine

  1. Process flour, eggs and yolks, and oil together in food processor until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 45 seconds. (If dough sticks to fingers, add up to ¼ cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until barely tacky. If dough doesn’t become cohesive, add up to 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together; process 30 seconds longer.)
  2. for mixing and kneading by hand

  3. Place flour in large bowl. Using fork, mix eggs, egg yolks, and oil together in separate bowl, then stir into flour. Using your hands, knead dough in bowl until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 3 minutes. (If dough sticks to fingers after 3 minutes, add up to ¼ cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until barely tacky. If dough doesn’t become cohesive, add up to 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together; knead 1 minute longer.)
  4. Transfer dough to clean surface and knead by hand to form smooth, uniform ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape dough into 6-inch-long cylinder. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

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