Three ingredients and a rolling pin (or a pasta machine) are all it takes to make fresh gluten-free pasta at home. It makes a firm, supple dough that rolls out thin for tagliatelle, fettuccine, and pappardelle, and goes thinner still for ravioli, tortellini, or lasagna sheets. In the Test Kitchen: not yet test-made in my kitchen.
Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta (Xanthan Gum Version)
Three ingredients and a rolling pin (or a pasta machine) are all it takes to make fresh gluten-free pasta at home. It makes a firm, supple dough that rolls out thin for tagliatelle, fettuccine, and pappardelle, and goes thinner still for ravioli, tortellini, or lasagna sheets. In the Test Kitchen: not yet test-made in my kitchen.
- 1 2/3 cups plain gluten-free flour blend 200 g, plus extra for kneading and dusting; use a blend with no xanthan gum added, or see Notes
- 1 tsp xanthan gum use only 1/2 tsp if your flour blend already contains xanthan gum
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil optional; makes the dough a little smoother
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour blend and xanthan gum together in a bowl.
- Add the eggs. Make a well in the middle, crack in the eggs, and add the olive oil if using. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and supple. There is no gluten to develop; kneading just brings the dough together with no flour clumps. The finished dough should be fairly firm, form a smooth ball without cracking or crumbling, and not feel sticky.
- Adjust if needed. If the dough is crumbly or dry (some flour blends absorb more moisture), whisk a whole egg and add it a little at a time until the dough comes together. If it feels wet or soft, add a small amount of flour.
- Divide. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the rest wrapped in plastic wrap or under a damp tea towel so they do not dry out.
- Roll, first passes. Roll one piece out with a rolling pin into a long oval or rough rectangle. Fold it into thirds like a letter, rotate 90 degrees so the open ends face you, and roll it out again into a long rectangle, just slightly thicker than the widest setting on your pasta machine.
- Pass the rectangle through the pasta machine on the widest setting (1 on a KitchenAid roller). Fold into thirds again, rotate 90 degrees, roll out again with the pin, and pass through the widest setting a second time. Trim any craggy edges with a knife or pizza cutter. You can also do the whole rolling by hand with a rolling pin; it just takes longer.
- Roll to thickness. Pass the sheet twice through each next narrower setting, dusting lightly with flour as needed, until you reach the thickness you want: setting 4 for fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle; setting 5, slightly thinner, for ravioli or tortellini. A small crack at an edge here or there is normal for gluten-free pasta and does not threaten the sheet.
- Cut and shape. Cut the sheet into ribbons with a knife or the machine cutting setting, or leave it in sheets for lasagna, or fill and cut it for ravioli. Dust the cut pasta generously with flour and gather it into nests so it does not stick together.
- Cook. Boil in well-salted water for about 4-6 minutes, to your preferred texture. Serve right away with your favorite sauce.
Yield: 4 nests of tagliatelle or pappardelle (about 2 1/2 oz / 70 g each), feeding 2-4 people depending on appetite.
Weigh the flour blend if you can. Different blends absorb different amounts of moisture, which is why the extra-egg / extra-flour adjustments in the method exist.
Storage: cook it right away, or refrigerate for up to 1 day, well dusted with flour in an airtight container. To freeze (up to 1 month): dust well, freeze in a single layer on a lightly floured baking sheet for 1 hour until hard, then transfer to a freezer bag. Frozen pasta takes about 1-2 minutes longer to cook.
Do not try to dry this pasta for pantry storage; it is egg-rich, and improperly dried egg pasta can turn mouldy.
Weigh the flour blend if you can. Different blends absorb different amounts of moisture, which is why the extra-egg / extra-flour adjustments in the method exist.
Storage: cook it right away, or refrigerate for up to 1 day, well dusted with flour in an airtight container. To freeze (up to 1 month): dust well, freeze in a single layer on a lightly floured baking sheet for 1 hour until hard, then transfer to a freezer bag. Frozen pasta takes about 1-2 minutes longer to cook.
Do not try to dry this pasta for pantry storage; it is egg-rich, and improperly dried egg pasta can turn mouldy.
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