Sourdough Pasta Recipe: How to Make Sourdough Pasta Dough

Sourdough is another term for naturally leavened bread. Instead of (or in addition to) commercial yeast, sourdough bread uses wild yeast, which grows on many foods, including flour. Harnessing the wild yeast in flour involves mixing equal parts flour and water and leaving the mixture in a warm location.

The growth of lactic acid bacteria gives sourdough its tangy flavor. Once a sourdough starter is full of yeast and lactic acid bacteria, you'll start to notice signs of fermentation as the microbes consume the starch in the flour and release carbon dioxide, creating gas bubbles. For a four-ingredient recipe, try Poilâne bakery CEO Apollonia Poilâne’s homemade sourdough starter recipe.

Sourdough pasta is a version of classic Italian pasta that uses sourdough starter discard in the dough. The sourdough starter gives the dough a chewier texture and a slightly tangy flavor.

Fresh pasta dough omits leavening agents, so chefs add sourdough to pasta more for taste than for airiness. When making the dish, it’s advisable to use sourdough discard (the portion you remove when feeding a sourdough bread starter) instead of active sourdough—this prevents the pasta from puffing up too much.

Sourdough pasta dough is pliable and easy to form into various shapes. To achieve the best results, keep these three tips in mind:

1. 1. Choose a pasta shape. The shape of the pasta determines the hydration of the dough and the method for rolling it out. A filled pasta, like ravioli or tortellini, has a higher hydration level than extruded pasta dough or a long pasta, such as fettuccine or spaghetti.
2. 2. Let the dough rest before rolling it out. Kneading pasta dough develops gluten, which is necessary for the texture of pasta dough. Letting the dough rest for about ten minutes is also necessary. Tight gluten structures make it difficult to roll out the dough, as it tends to spring back to its original size.
3. 3. Use a pasta roller. With settings for thick or thin pasta dough, a pasta roller produces pasta dough that’s thinner and more even than a rolling pin can—especially for beginners. Start on the lowest setting, usually number zero, and run the sheet of pasta through the roller until it reaches the thickness you prefer.