Homemade Pasta Noodles

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour water into the well a little at a time and mix with flour. Add as much water as needed to make a sticky but compact dough.

Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Repeat on all sides until elastic and smooth, but not too soft, should take about 10 minutes. Shape dough into a ball.

Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using

Cut off 1/3 of the dough. Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Flatten dough with your hands and pass through the largest setting of your pasta machine. Fold in half, rub with more flour, and pass through the pasta machine again. If you do not have a pasta machine, use a baking rolling pin to flatten. Keep flattening until an even thin rectangular sheet of smooth dough. Trim the sheet into an even rectangle and rub it with more flour

Optional shape: For long pasta noodles, loosely fold the dough into an accordion to prevent dough from sticking to itself. Cut the stack into as thick or thin strips as you’d like. But it is best to try to stay consistent with the size to cook noodles at the same rate. Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough.

Optional shape: To make bow tie pasta, trim off the short edge of the rectangle with a decorative ravioli cutter. Trim the rectangle into strips, about ¾ inch wide, with a flat ravioli wheel cutter. Section the strips into 1 ⅓ inch large pieces with the decorative cutter. Push the sides of each piece towards the center to form a bow tie and secure with a little dab of water. Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough.

Transfer the pasta to a floured cutting board and sprinkle with more flour. Do not overlap or they will stick. Let dry for 30 minutes before cooking.