Learning Objective
You will learn how to use leftover sourdough starter to make pasta dough. You will discover several options for varying the ingredients in your sourdough pasta dough.
Makes: | Enough pasta to feed 4 |
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Level: | Beginner |
Created Over: | 2 days |
Kind of Bake: | Instant use of discard recipe. |
Diversity Score: | 15 |
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Suggested Botanical Blend: | No 2 |
Prebiotic: | An overview the fibres in Grain |
Probiotic: | Cultured Butter or anchovy butter |
Recommended For: |
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Avoid if: |
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![](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-04-pasta-Masters-f-1040x520.jpg)
This sourdough pasta recipe is based on an Italian recipe for pasta fresca all’uovo. It’s a great way to use up sourdough starter that would otherwise be discarded during refreshment. Be sure to use a starter that has recently been refreshed.
Once you have made this a couple of times and are familiar with the technique, it's one to add to your collection of sourdough recipes that can easily be incorporated into your regular routine.
You can use any wholegrain so it's a good recipe for people who are just starting to increase the levels of fibre in their diet. With the Botanical blend alone, the diversity score is at about 14 before you’ve added any other ingredients, so it really is a great way of increasing both fibre and diversity.
From mixing to cooking, the pasta takes about 24–26 hours in total. We start to make our dough at 10am, then leave it to prove all day before putting it into the fridge overnight. The dough is then ready to roll and shape the following morning, and makes a good lunch, but you could also pop the shaped pasta back into the fridge until evening. Pasta is a good dish for sharing and, once you've made and shaped the dough, it’s incredibly quick to cook: it literally takes just a couple of minutes. So if you’ve got a houseful of people, you can prepare your pasta in advance and have lunch on the table in no time.
When we serve the pasta at the School, we try to add a probiotic, for example by stirring through a cultured butter. You can also build on this recipe to add antioxidants, maybe by adding a filling or sauce containing spinach, beetroot or other ingredients with high antioxidant levels.
You'll find that mixing and kneading the pasta dough is a great workout for your hands, and quite therapeutic, too, because you have to concentrate on what you are doing and be mindful. You really can’t answer the phone when you’re in the middle of making pasta.
A pasta machine is ideal for rolling this pasta out. It is possible to do it using a rolling pin, but be prepared for some hard work!
My top tip is to use a little olive oil on your hands when you’re handling the dough to prevent it sticking – and only use a little flour after you’ve cut the pasta strips, just to keep them separate. Also, make sure you rest the dough between rolling it out. If not, the gluten will tighten and the dough may tear. Roll, then rest the dough for 2–3 minutes before working it again.
We worked out that if you use a supermarket wholemeal flour in place of the Botanical blend, making this pasta will cost about 25p per serving, so it's is an ideal recipe for anyone who wants to eat well on a budget. It also keeps you full for a long time.
One thing to remember if you have any digestive issues related to wheat is that sprinkling unfermented flour on to the pasta once it has been shaped can provoke a response in some people. If this is the case, don’t use wheat flour to keep the pasta separate; instead, use a little rice flour, potato flour or cornstarch.
Equipment
- Fork
- Pasta machine or rolling pin
- Wax cloth or shower cap
- Sharp knife
- Large pan
- Colander
Suggested Starter
White
Hydration
43%
DDT
26°C (79°F)
For The Dough
- 200g organic white flour (13% protein), plus extra to sprinkle at the end
- 100g freshly milled Botanical Blend No.2 – Meadow blend, or any stoneground wholegrain flour
- 2g fine sea salt
- 70g first-build sourdough starter
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 10g water at 28°C (82°F)
- 5–10ml olive oil, for your hands
Tutorials
Step | Timings |
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Mix pasta dough | Day 1, 10am |
Prove | Day 1, 10.30am |
Transfer dough to fridge overnight | Day 1, 6pm |
Remove dough from fridge | Day 2, 10am |
Roll and cut into shape | Day 2, 11am |
Cook or refrigerate pasta | Day 2, midday |
Guidance, tips & techniques
This is the sourdough pasta recipe I recommend that you use when you first start creating a starter and you have discard.
It is fun and delicious. To make your fresh sourdough pasta, start by mixing the flours and salt together. Tip this mixture out on to the work surface and make a well in the centre. Pour the sourdough starter and eggs into the well and slowly begin to mix them into the flour using a fork, bringing a little flour into the centre at a time, working in gradually increasing circles as you incorporate the flour. Try not to break the outer ring of flour – you want the liquid ingredients to remain in the middle. When most of the flour has been incorporated, you can start working with your hands, using a little oil on your hands to stop the dough from sticking to them. Use your knuckles and the palms of your hands to work the remaining flour into the dough. At this stage, you can begin to add the water, a little at a time. It might seem like the dough will never come together, but keep working it and it will. The whole process will take about 20 minutes or more, but it’s worth the hard work.
Knead the dough with the heel of your hand for a minute or two, then form it into a ball and wrap in wax paper or cover with a shower cap. Leave your dough somewhere warm for 7–8 hours, then place it in the fridge overnight.
The following morning, remove the pasta from the fridge. By this time, it will have doubled in size. Leave the dough for about half an hour. You want it to come up to about 18°C (64°F).
Your pasta is now ready to roll out, and you can follow any pasta recipe from here.
TOP TIP
As you start to play with your flour you will discover that some flours need more hydration that others and may need a little more water adding. Go easy adding just 10g at a time.
![Making Sourdough Pasta](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-04-pasta-Masters-2-330x495.jpg)
![Pasta Sourdough](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-04-pasta-Masters-7-330x495.jpg)
![Pasta sourdough](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-04-pasta-Masters-14-330x495.jpg)
Learning Outcome
You will know how to make sourdough pasta dough and understand the ways in which you can vary the fibre content and diversity of your dough.