Hand-Rolled Pici Pasta

Step 1

Stir the flours together in a bowl to combine. Dissolve the salt in the warm water. Add the salt water to the flours along with the olive oil. Use your hand to mix it all together and bring together into a ball. You might think things are a bit dry, keep mixing and squeezing. It should all come together.

Step 2

Turn the pasta dough out onto a countertop and use one hand to vigorously knead the dough for 6-7 minutes. The dough should end up smooth and supple. Shape into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour. If you’re not going to use the dough at that point, refrigerate for up to a day.

Step 3

When you’re ready to shape noodles, unwrap the dough and cut in half. Rewrap the half you aren’t using. Roll the other half out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into strips roughly 1/2-inch wide. If this is confusing, refer to the photos in the post up above. Take a piece of the dough and roll out using your hands as if you were making a Play-Doh snake. Add a bit more pressure to elongate the strand and keep going until the pici is thinner than a pencil, and generally even throughout the length. Aim for “skinny pencil” aiming for thinner strands versus thicker. The pici will pudge up a bit as they rest and swell as they cook. Repeat with the other half of dough if using.

Step 4

Toss the shaped pici in flour to keep them from sticking together, and arrange on a parchment-lined and well-floured baking sheet. Or, set aside on a floured area of your counter you’re not using for rolling.

Step 5

To cook pici, boil a large pot of water, salt generously, and place noodles in the water. Cook until tender 4-5 minutes or so. Test along the way, cooking until tender. Drain and serve with favorite sauce.