Homemade Farfalle

Name: Homemade Farfalle
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT2H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT2H30M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 1/3 cup semolina flour; Kosher salt; 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

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Level: Intermediate

Total: 2 hr 30 min
Active: 2 hr

Yield: 4 servings

The familiar bow tie pasta shape is fun to make and goes quickly once you get the hang of it. Instead of just pinching the center of your pasta rectangles, which makes a thick center that won’t cook through as fast as the ends, the dough needs to be folded, so that when you press it in the middle, you have 3 layers of pasta on top of each other. Using a fluted pastry cutter on the edges of the dough will give your handmade bow ties a ruffled, decorative look.

Level: Intermediate

Total: 2 hr 30 min
Active: 2 hr

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

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1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/3 cup semolina flour

Kosher salt

2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine both flours and 1 teaspoon salt on a work surface, mixing with a fork. Make a well in the center and add the whole eggs, egg yolks and olive oil to the well. Whisk the wet ingredients with a fork, then slowly start to mix some flour into the wet ingredients, pulling from the inner edge of the well. Continue, mixing in just enough of the flour until the wet ingredients have turned into a soft dough. Push about one-quarter of the remaining flour to the side, then knead in the rest of the flour with your hands until the dough is very smooth and soft, 3 to 5 minutes. As you knead, bring in some of the reserved flour if the dough is too sticky or sprinkle the dough lightly with a few drops of water if it’s too dry. The finished dough should be firm and a little dense. Wrap in plastic wrap, then let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Dust a baking sheet with all-purpose flour. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover 3 of the pieces and set aside. Put the remaining piece on a floured surface, dust the top with more flour and gently flatten. Feed the dough through a pasta maker on the widest setting, then fold into thirds like a letter and feed through again. Fold and feed through again, dusting the pasta with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Move to the next setting and feed the dough through again, dusting with more flour as needed. Continue to feed the dough through each setting once until you reach the second-to-last setting and the dough is very thin. Remove to a work surface. Cut the dough in half crosswise if needed to fit on your surface.
Measure the width of your dough: If it’s less than 2 1/2 inches wide, leave it. If it’s wider, halve the dough lengthwise to form 2 long rectangles. Trim the long sides of the dough so you’re left with a long strip (or 2 long strips) that are 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches wide. Cut into 1-inch rectangles.
To shape the farfalle, hold a dough rectangle with your thumb and index finger in the middle of the long sides. Gently fold them toward each other, then press on the curved part with your other index finger to make an accordion-style fold in the middle, pinching to seal. Place on the floured baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel. Continue shaping the farfalle, dusting them with flour if they seem sticky. Repeat the rolling and shaping process with the remaining pieces of dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in 2 batches, add the farfalle and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until al dente in the pinched center, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with your sauce, adding pasta-cooking water as needed to loosen.

Cook’s Note

This homemade farfalle pairs well with pesto. To make the pesto: Pulse 4 cups fresh basil, 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, 1 small garlic clove and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until coarsely ground. With the machine running, drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil and puree until the pesto is mostly smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.