# Can you make fresh pasta without a pasta machine? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/fresh-pasta-without-a-machine/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Food · Updated: 2026-10-13 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Yes. Italian home cooks made pasta with a rolling pin long before machines, and you can too: a smooth, firm dough, a good rest, and patient rolling from the centre outwards. Start with shapes that forgive uneven thickness, like hand-rolled pici, maltagliati or wide pappardelle, and save the paper-thin ravioli for later. A pasta machine is a convenience, not a requirement. What it does is roll dough evenly and thinly without effort. A rolling pin does the same job with more arm and more attention, and some shapes do not need rolling at all. The skill is mostly in the feel of the dough, which no machine teaches you anyway. ## The dough: what it should feel like Most fresh pasta is either flour and egg, or flour and water (often with semolina in the south). Proportions vary between families and flours, so we work by feel rather than by numbers: - **Too sticky** and it clings to your hands and the board: work in a little more flour. - **Too dry** and it cracks and refuses to come together: wet your hands and knead, or add a few drops of water. - **Right** is smooth, firm and slightly springy, like a firm cushion that pushes back. A thumb pressed into it leaves a dent that slowly fills. Knead until the surface goes from rough to silky. Then wrap it and leave it to rest at room temperature. Resting is not optional when you are rolling by hand: it relaxes the dough so it stops shrinking back every time you push it out. ## Rolling with a pin A long, thin pin is easiest (the Italian *mattarello* is longer than most British rolling pins), but any pin works. Divide the dough into manageable pieces and keep the rest covered. - **Flatten first** with the heel of your hand into a disc. - **Roll from the centre outwards**, turning the sheet a quarter turn now and then so it stays round and even. - **Flour lightly**, just enough to stop sticking. Too much flour dries the surface and makes it crack. - **Wrap and stretch:** once the sheet is thin, roll it around the pin and gently push outwards with your palms as you roll it back. This stretches as well as presses. How thin? For ribbons, thin enough that you can just see the shadow of your hand or the grain of the board through it. For a first attempt, a little thicker is fine. It will be chewier, which is not a crime. ## Shapes that forgive Some shapes are made for hands. These are where we start: - **Pici.** Thick, rustic strands of flour and water, rolled one by one between your palm and the table. They come from Tuscany, traditionally the province of Siena, and they are meant to be uneven ([Wikipedia: Pici](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pici)). No rolling pin needed at all. Lovely with fried breadcrumbs, garlicky tomato, or cacio e pepe. - **Maltagliati.** The name means "badly cut": irregular pieces that, traditionally, came from the offcuts left after cutting tagliatelle, and a classic match for bean soup ([Wikipedia: Maltagliati](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltagliati)). Roll a sheet, cut it into rough diamonds and lozenges, done. - **Pappardelle.** Wide ribbons hide a little unevenness. Roll the sheet, dust it with flour or semolina, fold it loosely into a flat roll and slice across with a sharp knife. Shake the ribbons out. - **Orecchiette and cavatelli.** Flour-and-water pieces shaped with a knife or a finger, with no rolling pin at all. Slow at first, quick once your hands get it. ## Cooking it Fresh pasta cooks fast, so have the sauce ready first. Drop it into well-salted boiling water and start tasting almost immediately. It is ready when it is tender with a little resistance and has lost any raw, floury taste. Lift it into the sauce with a splash of its water and toss. ## FAQ ### Do we need special flour? It helps but is not essential. Fine Italian "00" flour makes silky egg pasta; durum semolina gives flour-and-water shapes more bite. Plain flour still makes good pasta, especially thicker hand-rolled shapes. ### Why does the dough keep shrinking back when we roll it? It needs more rest. Cover it and leave it a while longer, then try again. Also check the board is not over-floured, which lets the dough slide rather than stretch. ### Can fresh pasta be made ahead? Yes. Dust the cut shapes with semolina and leave them to dry a little on a tray, or freeze them in a single layer and cook from frozen. ### Is this a good project with children? Very. Pici and orecchiette are ideal for small hands. More on that in [cooking with kids](https://zestasy.com/wiki/cooking-with-kids/). ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Pici](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pici) - [Wikipedia: Maltagliati](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltagliati) ## Related - [Is fresh pasta better than dried pasta?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/fresh-vs-dried-pasta/) - [Which pasta shape goes with which sauce?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/pasta-shapes-and-sauces/) - [How do you tell when pasta is al dente?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/al-dente/) - [What is pasta e fagioli, and how do you get it creamy?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/pasta-e-fagioli/) - [How do you get kids cooking without chaos?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/cooking-with-kids/) - [All Food answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#food)