Sourdough Pasta Recipe (Made With Active Starter or Discard)

Sourdough Pasta Recipe (Made With Active Starter or Discard)

Sourdough pasta uses active starter or discard to make deliciously chewy, flavorful pasta or egg noodles without any special equipment. This simple 5-ingredient recipe uses all-purpose flour and the dough is velvety smooth and easy to work with thanks to a touch of olive oil.

Course Pasta

Cuisine American

Keyword Sourdough Discard Noodles, Sourdough Discard Pasta, Sourdough Noodle Recipe, Sourdough Noodles, Sourdough Pasta, Sourdough Pasta Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

Other Time: 30

Servings servings

Calories 216kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Kitchen scale

Ingredients

250 grams all-purpose flour about 2 cups; plus more for rolling
8 grams salt about 1 1/2 teaspoons
150 grams sourdough discard or active starter; 100% hydration (see Notes)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (see Notes)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough. Whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour the flour out onto a clean countertop and make a large well in the center. Add the sourdough discard, eggs, and oil to the well in the flour. If your well is big enough, whisk the eggs into the sourdough in the center of the well, otherwise your hands will work fine. Use your hands to combine the dough, gathering the flour from the outside and working it into the center. It will be shaggy at first and look like it needs more liquid, but trust the process; keep working the dough and it’ll come together beautifully. Once your dough forms a ball, knead it until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Rest. Divide your dough ball into 2 equal portions. Shape each into a ball, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour) before rolling them out. (Alternatively, to get the benefits of sourdough you can chill the dough in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours to bulk ferment, and then let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to 1 hour before rolling it out.)
Roll out. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll it out onto a floured surface until it’s about 2 to 3 mm thick (a rectangle about 16 by 18 inches works well).
Cut. Cut the dough into your desired shape, using a straightedge to cut it straight (I used a baking tray flipped upside-down). For egg noodles, I cut it into 1/4-inch wide strips, and then cut each strip into 2-inch pieces. For fettuccine, I cut it into 1/4-inch wide strips and leave them their full length.
To cook the fresh pasta or noodles now, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, salt the water generously and add the pasta or noodles. Cook to al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes, and then drain and serve.
To store fresh pasta in the fridge, first sprinkle it with flour and toss it to coat. Spread the pasta out and let it air dry at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. After that, transfer the pasta to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. You can cook it in boiling water straight from the fridge (about 3 to 4 minutes).
To store fresh pasta in the freezer, first sprinkle it with flour and toss it to coat. Spread the pasta out and let it air dry at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, then spread it out in an even layer (so the pasta touches each as little as possible, or so that a serving size is gathered into a nest) onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray and freeze until frozen solid, about 3 hours. After that, transfer the frozen pasta to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can cook it in boiling water straight from the freezer (about 5 minutes).

Notes

Sourdough Discard: You can use 100% hydration discard or starter in this recipe; if you're using discard, make sure it's 6 days old or less.
Oil: The oil is optional; it adds a touch of richness, and also helps with elasticity. It affects the dough’s texture, but it isn’t essential for structure. Adding oil makes the pasta dough slightly softer and easier to roll out, and also prevents it from drying out too quickly. However, traditional pasta dough often excludes oil to maintain a firmer texture, which is ideal for shaping and holding sauces.
Shape and Size: As you can see from my photos, don't worry if your noodles aren't perfect; they don't have to be perfectly straight and they don't have all be the same size. These noodles are homemade with love, and you're a rockstar for making them!
Serving Size and Nutritional Information: This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on how hungry your crowd is. The nutrition information was calculated based on 6 servings.

Nutrition