Spelt pasta is one of my favourite dishes. The combination of the unique texture with that slightly nutty flavour makes it extra special. Hopefully this will persuade you to never buy that supermarket packet ever again! We have used refined white spelt flour here, but you can use wholegrain instead, if you prefer, which gives a much heavier, grainier pasta. Dusting with semolina stops the strands from sticking together and allows you to roll it out thinly. Don’t forget to have a broomstick handy to hang the pasta on to dry!
MAKES 600g/1lb 5oz
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling and rolling out
500g/1lb 2oz/4 cups white spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 handful of semolina to separate the pasta strands
Put the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Pour the beaten eggs into this well and start bringing the flour and eggs together. Keep mixing until the ingredients are blended into a rough dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by turning, stretching and folding for 5–10 minutes until you have a soft, pliable dough. Shape the dough into a flat disc and wrap well with cling film, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to relax the dough.
Remove it from the fridge and roll out and cut to whichever shape you wish, scattering a little semolina over the cut pasta to keep the pieces from sticking together. If you are making long pasta, hang the strands over a clean broom handle to dry out or use two wire racks resting against each other to form a triangle.