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Make your own farfalle – just like in Italy
Farfalle means butterflies in Italian. It is a particularly decorative pasta shape that is absolutely versatile in culinary terms. And the best thing? It's very easy to prepare. Give it a try!
- 1 Pasta machine, or rolling pin
- 1 Pastry wheel
- 1 Ruler
Schritt für Schritt durch´s Rezept
- Step 1Pile the pasta flour onto a work surface. Make a well in the middle of the mound of flour. Add the beaten eggs and a pinch of salt to the well. Now start kneading the dough from the edge. Knead until the dough is homogeneous. If it is too hard, add water drop by drop. The dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic but not sticky.
- Step 2Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 3Now separate a piece from the ball of dough and knead it with your hands. Shape the piece of dough into a ball and roll it out slightly with a rolling pin.
- Step 4Run the dough through the pasta machine. Tip: If you don’t have much practice yet, it is helpful to have a second person to lift the rolled dough out of the machine.
- Step 5First select the level with the largest roller gap. After two or three passes, fold the resulting pasta sheet in again to the left and right towards the middle, dust the dough with a little flour and pass it through the pasta machine again. Repeat this 3-4 times on each roller setting to make the pasta smoother, firmer and easier to bite.
- Step 6Gradually reduce the distance between the rollers. Of course, you can also roll out the dough with a rolling pin. At the end, the dough should be wafer-thin.
- Step 7Be sure to cut the rolled out pasta dough while it is still moist. To do this, flour your work surface well, place the strips of dough on it and cut them into strips 4-5 cm wide. Then cut these strips into squares approx. 5 cm wide. If you want wavy farfalle, be sure to use a wavy pastry wheel for this step.
- Step 8Take a rectangle of dough and press the center together with your thumb and index finger. Do the same with all the squares. Place the pasta on baking trays lined with baking paper, boards lightly dusted with flour or large plates.
- Step 9Once the first portion of dough has been used, cut off the next piece of dough and repeat all the steps. Continue in this way until the dough is used up.
- Step 10Leave the farfalle to dry for 30 minutes before cooking. The cooking time in boiling salted water is about 5 minutes.
Farfalle and their shapes
Farfalle are particularly common in northern Italy. They probably originate from the Emilia region. Today, they can also be found in regional cuisine under names such as nocchette or fiocchetti.
The most common type has a smooth surface with rippled edges. However, there are also farfalle rigate, which have ridges or ribs (meaning “rigate”). The pasta is produced in different sizes – the miniature size is called farfalline, while the larger version is called farfallone.
Farfalle is also available in different colors: red (with beet or tomatoes), green (with spinach) or black (with sepia ink). If you want to make colorful pasta, take a look at this article. In it, we explain exactly how to color the dough and what you should bear in mind when cooking. A plate of colorful butterfly pasta is a wonderful feast for the eyes.
How to serve farfalle
They are usually served with tomato or cream sauces or used in salads. Here is a list of the best sauces. Click on them and give them a try!
What else is important
You can choose pasta dough with or without egg for the bow-tie pasta. We have opted for pasta all’uova here.
Making farfalle step by step
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