A simple recipe for fresh pasta calls for two large eggs and about 1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt. To make the dough by hand, make a well in the flour on a clean, flat surface. Break the eggs into the well and add the salt. Working with a fork, begin incorporating flour into the eggs at the center. You may need to shore up the flour walls as you work, pushing more flour toward the middle, and keeping the eggs from running out. When it becomes too difficult to keep mixing with the fork, start using your hands. Before long you’ll have a workable dough, which should be kneaded for several minutes. Because of variations in humidity and flour, you may need more or less flour, but the goal at the end of the kneading is to have a well-formed, elastic dough. If you are using an electric mixer, pour the flour into the mixer's bowl. It is important to put the flour into the mixer's bowl before adding the eggs because if the wet ingredients are at the bottom of the bowl they will have a more difficult time incorporating into the flour than if they are on top of the flour. Begin to mix the flour and eggs together with the mixture set to a low to medium speed. Once the dough has been mixed, notice that it is smooth textured, very firm, and somewhat dry. If the dough is even a little too wet, it will be sticky. If the dough is sticky, it will have problems when you attempt to run it through the pasta machine or hand roll it out. The dough should be just wet enough that the dough sticks to itself, but to nothing else. If the dough does not feel dry enough, knead it by hand with flour until desired firmness.

You can make pasta simply by placing a large quantity of flour (depending on amount of people) in a big bowl. Make a well in the center. Place cracked eggs (one egg per each person eating the pasta). With a fork or your finger incorporate some of the flour into the eggs from the sides of the well. Keep adding flour till you can't add anymore and you have a nice lump of dough. Now you either knead the dough which is difficult because it fights back or place it repeatedly through the rollers of a pasta machine on the widest setting about 6 times. Now you can roll thinner or shape it the way you want. I have also made this kind of pasta right in the flour sack never taking out the flour till it's all in a dough ball. Whatever works for you. If you want to make it in a food processor, place 2 - 2 1/4 cups of flour (all purpose or a mix of durum and AP is best) in the work bowl. Beat 3 eggs together. Turn on your FP. While the motor is running, pour in your eggs. Let it whirl around till it forms a ball. Count to 5. Dough is read now.