{"id":254784,"date":"2025-05-24T04:58:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T04:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/baking-category-a-b\/a-guide-to-the-types-of-pasta-shapes-you-can-make-by-hand\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T04:58:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T04:58:55","slug":"a-guide-to-the-types-of-pasta-shapes-you-can-make-by-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=254784","title":{"rendered":"A guide to the types of pasta shapes you can make by hand"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There is a wide variety of fresh pastas you can make at home without any special equipment such as a pasta roller or extruder \u2014 or even a rolling pin! What follows is a guide to some of those pasta shapes, and the best dough to make them with.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What kind of pasta dough is best for hand-shaped pasta?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n

The hand-shaped pastas described below traditionally call for an eggless dough made simply of fine-ground durum wheat, water, and a bit of salt. You can find my recipe for Eggless Pasta Dough here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the dough linked above works well for any hand-shaped pasta, some cooks include a splash of olive oil in their dough for pici (it makes them extra smooth). In addition, trofie are sometimes made with chestnut flour swapped in for a portion of the durum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tools you\u2019ll need\u00a0<\/h3>\n

The beauty of these hand-shaped pastas is that you don\u2019t need any fancy equipment. For most, all you need is your hands, a work surface (ideally large and wooden), and a knife or bench knife<\/a>. Just one \u2014\u00a0strozzapreti \u2014 requires a rolling pin (for which a wine bottle can substitute, if you\u2019re really in a pinch).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prep your pasta dough\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

For all the pastas below<\/strong>: Line two large baking sheets or a section of your work surface with parchment paper<\/a> lightly dusted with durum flour. Divide your dough<\/a> into four equal pieces (about 146 grams each). Work with one piece of dough at a time; leave the others covered so they don\u2019t dry out. Shape according to the instructions below.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

How to cook the pastas below<\/span>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

After shaping, give the pasta about an hour at room temperature to slightly dry out and firm up before cooking. To cook, add the pasta to a pot of well salted boiling water and boil for 2 to 5 minutes. Drain it (reserving some of the cooking water to add to your sauce; a couple splashes will give the sauce body and help it cling to the noodles) and stir it over medium heat with the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beginner-friendly pasta shapes<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n \"Pici<\/p>\n

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Photography by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Yekaterina Boytsova<\/p>\n<\/div>

Pici are rustic, hand-formed noodles with slightly tapered ends.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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