Sourdough Pasta (by hand!)

Make sourdough pasta in your very own kitchen without any special equipment!

All you need are 3 simple ingredients, a rolling pin, and a pizza cutter.

The best part is you can use sourdough discard for this recipe and it can be made the same day. Or long ferment the dough. The versatility is endless.

Sourdough pasta checks all the boxes. It boasts a lovely taste and texture, and the fermentation process adds to the nutritional value.

If you’re looking for a new way to use up some sourdough discard, this recipe is for you!

FAQ’s

Can I long ferment the sourdough pasta dough? Yes! This dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

How do I cook fresh sourdough pasta? Fresh sourdough pasta takes around 4-6 minutes to cook in boiling water. This can vary depending on the thickness of the noodles. Give it a taste test at around 4 minutes.

Why is my dough not coming together? Sourdough pasta dough takes a little elbow grease to bring together by hand. However, I promise it does come together and quite nicely! If you feel your dough is not coming together after 5-8 minutes of kneading, add a teaspoon of water at a time until the right consistency. It should be smooth, elastic, and a little tacky.

How thick should I cut my pasta? I typically cut my pasta around 1/8″. However, this is completely up to you!

How many servings are in this recipe? This recipe has 4 servings of pasta.

What you’ll need to make sourdough pasta

Ingredients

• 100 grams of sourdough discard brought to room temperature
• 2 medium eggs
• 220 grams of all-purpose flour

Eggs: if using 2 small eggs, a teaspoon or 2 of water may need to be added to the dough mixture. If using larger eggs, additional flour during the kneading process can be used.

The dough should be smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch.

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Food scale
• Rolling pin
• Pizza cutter or sharp knife

How to make sourdough pasta

Baker’s schedule: Mix the dough and allow it to rest for 1 hour OR refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

I recommend using sourdough discard that is no more than a week old.

Mix & knead the dough

• To a medium-sized mixing bowl add the flour and create a divet in the middle of the flour.

• Pour the sourdough starter and 2 eggs into the flour and start to mix it with a fork.

• It will be clumpy and seem like it is not going to come together.

• Start to mix with your hands and then place the mixture on a clean work surface (it is okay if it has not fully formed into a dough yet).

• Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch.

Note: you should need no additional flour during the kneading process. This dough requires a bit of elbow grease to come together. If after 5-8 minutes it still does not come together, add a teaspoon or so of water.

• Once the dough has been kneaded, place it in a bowl coated in olive oil, cover it, and let it rest for 1 hour.

• OR the sourdough pasta dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours after it has rested at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough

• After the dough has rested, divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Cover the dough that is not being rolled out with plastic wrap or a towel so it does not dry out.

• Take one portion of the dough and roll it out to your desired thickness using a rolling pin. Tip: use a piece of dried pasta to estimate how long the dough should be rolled out. I usually go a few inches longer than a standard piece of pasta.

• During the rolling process, a generous amount of flour can be used on both sides of the dough as you do not want it to be sticky. This will make cutting the dough much easier.

• If you are having trouble rolling out the dough, allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes to let the gluten relax & proceed to rolling.

Make the pasta cuts

• Before making your cuts, ensure the dough is not sticking to your work surface, add more flour if needed.

• When ready, make your pasta cuts using a pizza cutter (a sharp knife can be used however, the pizza cutter makes the process much faster).

• I make 1/8″ cuts, however this is based on preference, feel free to cut the pasta to your desired thickness.

• Gently pull apart each piece of pasta and set aside on a cutting board (this is where it is important to use enough flour to ensure the pasta pieces do not stick together.)

Tip: use a ruler if needed, also making light markings on where you will cut is helpful!

• After the pasta has been cut, allow it to rest for 30 minutes before boiling it. I place mine on a cutting board, however, if you have a drying rack feel free to use that.

• Sprinkle a little flour over the top of the fresh pasta while resting to ensure the pieces don’t stick together.

How to cook sourdough pasta

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil seasoned with salt and cook the sourdough pasta for 4-6 minutes. This can vary depending on the thickness of the noodles. Give it a taste test at the 4-minute mark

• You’ll notice the noodles puff up a bit during boiling (this is normal) they will deflate once removed from the hot water.

How to dry fresh sourdough pasta

Drying sourdough pasta is unbelievably easy! Simply hang the pasta on a clothes hanger and let it hang for around 24 hours.

You’ll know it is ready once you can snap it in half. You can store dried pasta in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Note: dried pasta takes longer to cook than fresh pasta, usually around 8-10 minutes.

More sourdough discard recipes

• Sourdough Discard Garlic Knots
• Sourdough Biscuits (so buttery & soft!)
• Sourdough Discard Crackers (with rosemary & garlic)
• Sourdough Discard Crescent Rolls