Leah's Classic Fresh Farfalle Pasta Dough

This farfalle recipe is as versatile as it is fun — toss it with marinara, pesto, brown butter, or whatever’s in the fridge. It’s also the perfect kitchen project for kids: simple folds, fun shapes, and a lunch they’ll love.

This recipe is adapted from Mark Vetri's Mastering Pasta.

-- Leah Farrell, Brooklyn, NY

• 350 grams Unified Mills All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
• 4 large eggs
• 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs semolina flour, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

• Mix the dough: Pour 350 grams all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Add 4 large eggs and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Use your fingers to gradually work the flour together until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but not sticky, adding small amounts of flour as needed. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and rest at room temperature.
• Rest: Let the wrapped dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
• Roll out: Divide the dough into 4 pieces, keeping unused portions wrapped. Flatten one piece with a rolling pin into a rough rectangle and feed it through the pasta machine on the widest setting. Tri-fold the sheet like a letter, turn it so an open end faces the machine, and roll it through again. Repeat once more.
• Thin the sheets: Continue rolling the dough through progressively narrower settings until the dough is about 1 mm thick.
• Shape farfalle: Using a fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut each sheet into strips about 2½ inches wide. Then cut crosswise into ectangles roughly 1½ inches long. Keep cut pieces covered loosely while you work to prevent drying out. Pinch the center of each rectangle firmly between your thumb and forefinger to form a bowtie.Arrange in a single layer on semolina-dusted baking sheets.
• A sieve spoon can be used to scoop pasta out of the pot after boiling, to prevent the dusted semolina flour from pouring on top of the pasta.
• For this dish, I added cooked string beans, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.