semolina flour

Semolina flour gives these rather plain-looking but delicious cookies, adapted from "Dorie's Cookies" by Dorie Greenspan, a delightfully sandy texture. Almond flour makes them moist and rich, adding a gentle flavor and scent. If you don’t have almond flour, make your own by pulsing blanched almond slices in a food processor until they're finely ground. Just don’t over-process, or you’ll wind up with almond butter. And if you’re not a fan of orange blossom water, you can leave it out, or substitute rose water.

Moroccan Semolina and Almond Cookies

almond flour

baking powder

fine sea salt

granulated sugar

lemon

eggs,

60 milliliters flavorless oil,

vanilla extract

orange blossom water (optional)

Confectioners’ sugar,

Position racks to divide the oven into thirds, and heat it to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together semolina, almond flour, baking powder and salt.

Put sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl in which you can use a hand mixer. Finely grate lemon zest over sugar, then rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is moist and fragrant. Add eggs and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. With mixer running, pour oil down side of the bowl and beat for another 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and orange blossom water, if using. Turn off mixer, add half the dry ingredients and mix them in on low speed, then add the rest, mixing only until dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick.

Sift some confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. For each cookie, spoon out a level tablespoon of dough, roll it between your palms to form a ball and dredge in sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets, then use your thumb to push down the center of each cookie, pressing firmly enough to make an indentation and to cause the edges to crack.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back after 8 minutes, or until cookies are ever so lightly colored: They will be golden on the bottom, puffed, dramatically cracked and just firm to the touch. Carefully lift the cookies off sheets and onto racks. Cookies will keep for about 4 days in a covered container at room temperature.

Amanda Saab, a social worker and home cook who lives near Detroit, riffs on her Lebanese grandmother's recipe for namoura, a cake made from semolina flour, soaked in syrup while it's still warm. When she serves it at iftar dinners during Ramadan, Ms. Saab often doses the syrup with a little bit of lavender extract. You could follow her lead, or use another floral note like vanilla or rose. The cake has no eggs, but this version gets its rich flavor and texture from aerated yogurt, which goes bubbly within minutes of being mixed with a little baking soda.

Namoura (Syrup-Soaked Semolina Cake)

lemon juice

vanilla

unsalted butter

plain whole-milk yogurt

baking soda

29 grams slivered almonds

In a small saucepan over high heat, boil sugar and 1 cup/240 milliliters of water, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add lemon juice and extract, and stir to combine. Simmer until thickened into a syrup, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Place the semolina, melted butter and sugar in a large bowl and stir until well combined; set aside.

Place the yogurt and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside until the mixture has nearly doubled in size, about 10 minutes.

Pour the yogurt mixture over the semolina mixture and mix well to combine. Transfer to the buttered baking dish and press into an even layer. Using a knife, score the surface of the namoura on the diagonal into 2-inch diamond-shaped pieces. Top each diamond in the center with an almond. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Place baking dish on a wire rack and drizzle the cooled syrup over the top of the hot namoura. Let cool to room temperature before recutting along the scored lines and serving.

People all across the Arab world make some version of date-stuffed semolina cookies to celebrate both Muslim and Christian holidays. The recipes vary from country to country, even from family to family, as do the spicing, stuffing and cooking methods. But wherever you go, if you are served one of these cookies, you know it’s a call for celebration. This recipe is a Palestinian version in which the dough is fragrant from anise, fennel and nigella seeds. The cookies are also shaped into rings, making them easier to prepare than the ones made with molds or decorated with serrated edge tweezers. While they still require some effort, they keep quite well in an airtight container for several weeks and can be frozen for several months. One bite into the crispy, spiced crust with a soft date interior will make you understand just why they are worth the effort. 

Ka’ak el Eid

all-purpose flour

vegetable oil

nigella seeds (or unhulled sesame seeds)

aniseed

fennel seeds

instant yeast

sugar

salt

water,

Vegetable or olive oil, as needed for greasing

date paste (see Tip)

cinnamon

Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, combine the semolina flour, all-purpose flour, butter and oil. Rub the ingredients between your palms until the mixture resembles wet sand. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight (or several hours). This allows the semolina to soften and fully absorb the butter and oil. 

Finish the dough: The next day (or several hours later), after your semolina mixture has rested, add the nigella seeds, aniseed, fennel, baking powder, yeast, sugar and salt to the semolina mixture and gently rub together with your hands. Add 1/2 cup warm water and start to gently knead for no longer than 2 minutes. The mixture will probably still be crumbly at this point. 

Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup water to the mixture in 1-tablespoon increments, and continue to knead for about 1 minute after each addition — making sure you don’t over-knead — until you can take a clump of dough in your fingers and it holds together. You may not need to use all the water, or you may need extra, a couple tablespoons at a time, depending on a variety of factors, like climate or flour. What you are looking for is a clump of dough to come together easily and not fall apart when you try rolling it into a log. Cover and let rest while you prepare the filling. 

Prepare the filling: Line a medium baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper and grease with oil. Pour some oil in a small bowl that you will use to grease your hands as necessary. Put the date paste and cinnamon in a bowl and knead slightly with greased hands until evenly incorporated. 

Grease your hands and tear out about 35 portions of filling, each about the size of a golf ball. On a flat surface, roll each into a string slightly thinner than your finger and about 4 to 5 inches long. Place on the greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap, then set aside until ready to use. This can sit at room temperature for a couple of days without any issue. 

Prepare the cookies: Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Take a golf ball-size piece of dough, keeping the rest of the dough covered to keep it moist, and roll it between your palms or on a flat surface into a sausage shape about 4 inches long. Using the tips of your fingers, gently press to flatten it. Take one of the date strings and place on top of the dough, cutting off as much as necessary for it to fit the dough. (Any cut off pieces can be used to extend shorter pieces or combined to make more filling strings.)

Enclose the dough around the date filling and roll it on a flat surface into a slightly longer, thin sausage shape, about 8 to 9 inches long. Take one end and place it slightly overlapping the other end to form a ring shape. With a thin object (like a chopstick), press down all the way through to make two holes where the ends overlap to ensure they are firmly attached and won’t come apart during baking. Place on the prepared lined baking sheet and repeat until dough and filling are finished. 

Bake cookies until a very light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container. Cookies will keep 2 to 3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer. 

You’re looking at the quintessential June dessert, perfected by the BA Test Kitchen. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

BA's Best Strawberry Shortcake

semolina flour cornmeal

unsalted butter,

heavy cream

Sanding sugar (for sprinkling)

strawberries

lemon zest

Kosher salt

lemon juice, divided

vanilla bean,

Bon Appétit

Pulse egg yolks, both flours, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until only pea-size pieces remain. Drizzle in ⅔ cup cream, then pulse 2–3 times to barely incorporate. Transfer dough to a work surface and gently fold on top of itself several times just to bring it together and work in any dry spots.

Using a 2-oz. ice cream scoop, make 6 balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Do not flatten. (Or measure out mounded scoops with a ¼-cup measuring cup.) Cover and chill until cold, 20–25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush tops of shortcakes with remaining 2 Tbsp. cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden and sides are firm to the touch, 28–32 minutes. Let cool.

Do Ahead: Shortcakes can be baked 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Reheat before serving.

Toss strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl to combine. Transfer half of strawberries to a large saucepan and add 1 Tbsp. water; let remaining strawberries macerate while you bring strawberries in saucepan to a gentle simmer over medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed to keep at a low simmer, until strawberries are starting to break down and become jammy and liquid is syrupy, 12–18 minutes. Let cool, then stir in 1 tsp. lemon juice. Stir remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice into macerated strawberries.

Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Beat cream until soft peaks form.

Split shortcakes and divide strawberry compote, macerated strawberries, and whipped cream among bottoms. Close with shortcake tops.

The Moroccan pan-fried flatbread known as msemen is usually eaten for breakfast and teatime. The process of flattening and rolling the dough might seem intimidating, but these layered breads are actually not complicated or very time-consuming to make. Serve them warm or at room temperature with anything you fancy. To enjoy them sweet, eat with melted butter and honey, or go the savory route with ricotta and olive oil.

Msemen (Moroccan Flatbreads)

vegetable oil,

unsalted butter, melted

Make the dough: Place the flours, salt, warm water and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix and form a soft, smooth dough. If the mixture is too dry, gradually add a couple tablespoons of warm water. If it’s too sticky, gradually add teaspoons of semolina flour. Once your dough is soft and smooth, lightly dust a work surface with semolina flour and knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until supple and elastic.

Lightly grease a sheet pan with oil. Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces and form each into a ball. Place the balls on the sheet pan and use your hands or a brush to lightly rub the balls with oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and melted butter. Generously oil your work surface and place a ball of dough on it. Flatten the ball lightly and spoon about 1/2 teaspoon butter mixture on top. Using your hands, flatten the dough as thin as you can to make an 8- to 10-inch circle and lightly sprinkle some semolina flour over the dough.

Fold the msemen: Fold one-third of the top and bottom of the dough towards the center as you would to fold a letter, then fold one-third of the dough from the left and right sides towards the center to make about a 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-inch square. Place the folded msemen on the oiled work surface and cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap. Repeat until you have folded all the dough balls, adding more oil to your work surface as necessary.

Lightly oil and heat a griddle or a nonstick pan over medium-high. Transfer a folded msemen to the work surface, spoon another 1/2 teaspoon of the butter mixture on top and flatten it using your hands to make a 6-inch square. Gently place the flattened msemen on the warm pan and cook, turning several times and adjusting the heat and adding more oil to the pan as necessary, until golden and starting to puff, 60 to 90 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining msemen. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Migliaccio, often served at Carnival, is a lemon-ricotta cheesecake with a difference: a base of semolina flour, which makes it lighter than your typical cheesecake.

Italian Lemon-Ricotta Cake

milk

lemons

eggs

(2 cups) fresh ricotta cheese, strained

Confectioners’ sugar

Raspberry sauce

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter an 11-inch round cake pan.

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering, then whisk in the semolina and salt. Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the sugar and butter until combined. Transfer the batter to a bowl to cool it down to warm, stirring frequently to prevent a skin from forming.

Zest the lemons, using only the yellow part, and stir into the batter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Beat in the ricotta.

Pour the batter into the pan, and bake until set and golden in places, about 1 hour. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool, and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar while still hot. Once the cake has cooled, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar once more, then serve.

This is a lovely moist cake that keeps well and may be made several days in advance of serving. Stored well wrapped and at room temperature, its flavor only improves. For best results, grind blanched almonds to make your own almond meal. If you wish, accompany with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Almond Cake With Saffron and Honey

finely ground blanched almonds, or substitute almond meal

kosher salt

eggs, beaten

orange

almond extract

orange juice

honey

cloves

cardamom pods

cinnamon stick

saffron (optional)

apricots,

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch diameter cake pan and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the semolina, sugar, almonds, baking powder and salt. Whisk in eggs and melted butter. Add the orange and lemon zests and almond extract and beat well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool.

As cake cools, make the syrup: Put orange juice, sugar, honey, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and apricots in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar, and then simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Set aside. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Use a skewer to poke holes all over and slowly pour syrup evenly over cake. Once the syrup has cooled slightly, arrange the spices and apricots on top of the cake to your liking. Leave cake for at least an hour to fully absorb syrup, or, if possible, wrap and store in a cool place (don’t refrigerate) for up to 5 days.

Making this cake, which is adapted from "Sweet," by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, is a labor of love, but that’s only appropriate, for a cake adorned with rose petals. If you want to save time, however, you can do without the petals or use store-bought dried rose petals — the cake and cream are both special enough for those you feed to know you love them. If you are going all out with the roses, red or pink petals are a matter of preference; the red petals will turn a deep purple once candied. The cake keeps well for up to five days, but the petals should be sprinkled over just before serving. And don't confuse rose water and rose essence: the difference is huge. You want to use rose water here, and in brazen amounts, but it’s what makes the cake both distinct and delicious.

Pistachio and Rose Water Semolina Cake

rose petals (from about 2 roses)

cardamom

almond meal

rose water (not rose essence)

plain Greek yogurt

crème fraîche

confectioners’ sugar

rose water

Heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit/100 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease a 9-inch/23-centimeter round springform pan and line with parchment paper.

Make the candied rose petals, if desired: Whisk egg white by hand until frothy. Then, using a small pastry brush or paintbrush, very lightly paint both sides of each petal with egg white; do this in a few small batches, brushing and then sprinkling the sugar lightly over both sides of each petal. Shake off excess sugar and lay petals on the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until dry and crunchy, then set aside to cool.

Make the cake: Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.

Combine pistachios and cardamom in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, then transfer to a bowl. Add almond meal, semolina, baking powder and salt. Mix together and set aside.

Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fully combined, but take care not to overwork it; you don’t want to incorporate a lot of air into the mixture. With the machine still running, slowly add eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times and making sure that each batch is fully incorporated before adding the next. The mixture will curdle once the eggs are added, but don’t worry; this will not affect the end result.

Remove the bowl from the machine and add the dry ingredients, folding them in by hand and, again, taking care not to overmix. Next fold in lemon zest, lemon juice, rose water and vanilla extract and scrape the batter into the pan. Level with an offset spatula and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean but oily.

While the cake is in the oven, make the rose cream: Place all the ingredients for the cream in a bowl and whisk to beat everything together for about 2 minutes, until thick. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Make the rose syrup: About 10 minutes before the cake comes out of the oven (you want the syrup to be warm when the cake is ready), place all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring so that the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat. Don’t worry that the consistency is thinner than you might expect; this is how it should be.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, drizzle all of the syrup over the top. It is a lot of syrup, but don’t lose your nerve — the cake can take it! Sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios and set the cake aside in its pan to come to room temperature. Remove from pan and scatter rose petals over the cake. Serve immediately, with a generous spoonful of rose cream alongside. (The cake keeps well for up to 5 days in an airtight container. The rose petals should be sprinkled over just before serving.)

Qatayef are synonymous with Ramadan. It is during this month that bakeries start making the pastry for these stuffed pancakes, and the lines spill into the street as people wait their turn to buy them. Golden underneath and speckled with bubbles on top, qatayef are cooked only on one side. They can be large or small. The large ones are normally stuffed with nuts or cheese and folded over, then fried or baked, and drenched in sugar syrup. The small ones, called qatayef asafiri (or little bird qatayef), are stuffed with a creamy filling, only half closed, then dipped in pistachio and drizzled with thick, faintly floral sugar syrup. The batter is very simple; the key is to make sure it is the right consistency, like that of heavy cream.

Qatayef Asafiri

orange blossom water

yeast

mahlab (optional, see Tip)

mascarpone

Prepare the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, then stir in 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water and 1/2 teaspoon rose water.

Make the batter: Add 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water to a blender or food processor. Add all the batter ingredients and process until smooth. The batter should be quite loose, similar to heavy cream in consistency. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Place the mascarpone, heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water and 1/2 teaspoon rose water in a small bowl. Use a handheld electric mixer to whip into stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook the qatayef: Place a medium nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Mix the batter to ensure it is smooth, then pour separate 1-tablespoon portions of batter into the pan, fitting about 4 circles. Cook qatayef until the entire surface is covered in small bubbles and the center loses its sheen, about 30 to 45 seconds. (You might be able to cook off more at a time once you’ve determined the right temperature and consistency of the batter.) If the bubbles are large and sparse, then your batter is too thick; stir 1 tablespoon of water into the batter to thin. Qatayef cook only on one side; the base should be uniformly golden and the top covered in small bubbles. If the disks brown too quickly — or unevenly — underneath before the batter loses its sheen on top, lower the heat slightly.

Transfer each cooked qatayef to a large tray lined with a dish towel and cover with another dish towel while you cook the remaining batter.

Fill the qatayef: Fold each into a half-moon, bubble side on the inside, and pinch to seal the edges together halfway. Using a teaspoon or a piping bag, fill the opening with the cream, then dip the exposed cream filling into the ground pistachios.

Arrange the filled qatayef on a serving platter. These can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for several hours until ready to serve. To serve, drizzle the cooled syrup over the qatayef and offer guests more syrup to add to their individual plates, if they choose.

Beating the butter and sugar properly (read thoroughly) gives these mini cakes lift, but they will still be moist and marzipan-y in the center.

Semolina–Lemon Syrup Cakes

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°. Line the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk almond flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With motor running, gradually add eggs and beat until glossy, about 1 minute. Add dry ingredients and lemon juice and beat to combine, about 1 minute.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until cakes are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25–35 minutes.

Make the syrup while the cakes are baking. Bring lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

As soon as cakes come out of the oven, brush or spoon syrup liberally over top (you may not need all of it). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cakes cool completely before turning out.

Do Ahead: Cakes can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

The semolina bakes into a crunchy layer on the top and bottom but stays moist and delicate within for this cake recipe.

Semolina Cake with Oranges

bay leaves

coarse-grind semolina flour

orange zest

plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

oranges

Lemon juice (optional)

The semolina bakes into a crunchy layer on the top and bottom but stays moist and delicate within.

Bring bay leaves, sugar, salt, and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Pluck out bay leaves; let cool.

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9"-diameter cake pan. Whisk semolina, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk yogurt and milk in a large bowl. Mix in dry ingredients, then ¾ cup butter. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until golden brown and firm, 55–65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn a plate over top of pan and invert cake. Using a cake tester or toothpick, poke holes all over cake; gradually pour all but ¼ cup bay leaf syrup over, letting it soak in. Let sit 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove peel and white pith from oranges. Slice into ¼"-thick rounds; remove seeds. Combine in a medium bowl with remaining bay leaf syrup; let sit, tossing occasionally, at least 20 minutes. Taste and add lemon juice as needed.

Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Two-ingredient homemade pasta (no machine required!) meets a buttery yet fresh tomato sauce finished with a drop of umami-rich fish sauce. 

Fresh Pasta With Buttered Tomatoes

(300 g) semolina flour,

olive oil

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Tbsp. unsalted butter,

tsp. colatura (anchovy sauce) or fish sauce

Parmesan (about 1½

Tbsp. torn basil, divided

You can make fresh pasta at home without a single egg yolk, nonna, or pasta machine in sight. It’s easy, we promise! This style of pasta, with just two ingredients—semolina flour and water—is common in southern Italy. Look for the words “rimacinata” on your bag of semolina flour. This indicates a finer grind, which is best suited for pasta making. Regular all-purpose or bread flour might work in an egg-rich pasta dough but won’t quite cut it in this leaner version—the resulting pasta will be mushy and waterlogged after boiling.
Using hot water reduces the kneading time to mere minutes, and a brief rest yields a dough so silky it needs only a rolling pin to submit into springy, translucent sheets. For accuracy, measure out the water after it’s boiled and control the urge to make the dough too wet. It will seem a bit dry, but a quick knead and a short rest in a tightly sealed bag is transformative. When made correctly, the pasta is so easy to roll you shouldn’t even need to flour the surface.
The pared-back sauce, with plenty of late-season tomatoes and good butter, echoes this simplicity. Making the sauce in a large Dutch oven is key so there’s enough room to gently toss the pasta without the risk of breaking it.
Editor’s note 8/26/2020: This recipe has been updated to reflect the correct amount of semolina flour required for the fresh pasta.

Using a fork, mix 2⅓ cups semolina flour and ⅔ cup just-boiled water in a medium bowl until flour is moistened and looks pebbly. (Mixture may look dry, but it will hydrate fully as it rests. If large patches of dry flour remain, though, you can add up to 1 Tbsp. additional water.) Knead dough in bowl until a smooth, cohesive dough forms, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and close, pressing out all of the air. Let dough rest at room temperature 1–4 hours.

Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough and keeping remaining dough sealed in bag, roll out on a surface (no need to flour) into a long, narrow 1/16"-thick rectangle. Dust lightly with semolina flour (this will prevent sticking); starting at shorter end, fold sheet into thirds (do not to press too firmly; you want to keep dough from sticking to itself). Cut into ¾"-wide ribbons with a sharp knife. Gently unfurl pasta ribbons and transfer to a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 pieces of dough.

Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; cook, stirring often, until garlic is pale golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1 pint Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes, halved, a big pinch of kosher salt, and ¼ cup water. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and become saucy, 6–8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook fresh pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 1 minute.

Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with tomato sauce. Add 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, 1 tsp. colatura (anchovy sauce) or fish sauce, remaining 1 pint Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan, and 2 Tbsp. torn basil. Using tongs or a wooden spoon, cook, stirring and adding a few tablespoonfuls of pasta cooking liquid if needed, until pasta is coated and glossy, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with more finely grated Parmesan and remaining 2 Tbsp. torn basil.
Do ahead: Pasta dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep covered and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

With just 2 ingredients- flour and eggs- and 15 minutes initial hands on time, use fresh pasta dough to make fettuccini, pappardelle, ravioli and more. 
For timing, the process is broken up into 3 parts: making the dough, rolling the dough into pasta sheets, and cutting the pasta into noodles. Tips shared below for using a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, food processor and doing it by hand.

Beginner's Guide to Fresh Homemade Pasta Dough

300 g Tipo 00 Flour (I recommend Molino Grassi

eggs (see note below)

Semolina flour, flour

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (w/ pasta attachments)

Pasta Machine

Make space. You’ll need

Add the flour to a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add the eggs and yolk.

Whisk together with a fork, and then combine with the flour. When the texture becomes stiff, finish by hand to form a rough dough. If dry bits of flour remain after a few minutes of mixing (be patient, it’s a dry dough) add a few drops of water or olive oil to bring the dough together. 

Form the dough into a ball, cover with an upturned bowl or with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes- it will be easier to knead.

Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Do this by folding the dough over itself, pushing it forward with the heel of your hand, turning slightly as you go. I literally rock the dough back and forth (watch the video). The texture will be very stiff at first- it’s not bread dough. But rest assured, by the 2 minute mark it will start to soften. Keep kneading until the dough is soft, malleable and has a talcum-like finish. It should &#8220;bounce back&#8221; slowly when poked.

Form the dough into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step #1: Make The Dough

On your work surface, cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough into a 6-8inch oval patty. Keep the remaining doughs covered in wrap otherwise they will dry out. 

Set the pasta roller to #1 which is the lowest/widest setting on the Kitchen Aid. With the machine running, send the dough through the roller. Now, send it through again (so, 2x total). Note: if you are using a hand crank pasta machine, refer to the manufacture&#8217;s specific instructions for rolling the dough- the settings might differ but the process is the same.

Continue to roll the dough through settings #2-4, (2x) on each setting. Do not pull on the sheet as it comes through the roller; just guide it along gently. If at any point the dough becomes sticky, dust with semolina flour. I keep my work surface dusted with semolina at all times. This way I can coat both sides of my pasta sheet easily and quickly while I work.

Your pasta sheet is ready when it’s beautifully thin and somewhat translucent (you should be able to see your hand underneath). Don’t worry if the ends are not perfectly straight; you can always trim them with a knife.

To finish, dust the pasta sheet generously with semolina, fold it in half, and place onto your floured sheet pan. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat the rolling process for the remaining 3 doughs.

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Top 15 semolina flour recipes from across the web

The most viewed semolina flour recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Semolina Cake with Oranges

Fresh Pasta With Buttered Tomatoes

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Czech Potato Dumplings

Semolina Bread Recipe

The most viewed semolina flour recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine