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Emmer Wheat (Farro) Pasta
Emmer wheat, also known as farro, is an ancient ancestor of modern durum, the wheat you see on the ingredient list of most storebought pasta. Compared with durum, emmer wheat berries are larger and a little nuttier in flavor, but both wheats make excellent pasta dough for rolling and extruding into different shapes of pasta. The recipe below offers two variations: 100% whole grain emmer flour and 50:50 whole grain emmer and all purpose flour, but you could pick your own ratio and try other flours too.
[Jump to recipe]
One of the wonderful things about making homemade pasta — along with the fresh, deeper flavors, varied grain choices, and the meditative process — is that you get to choose how much wheat nutrition and texture you want. You’re not limited to only whole wheat or “white.” You can experiment with the balance between white-flour chew and smoothness and whole grain fiber and flavor.
100% emmer whole grain pasta
I was surprised by how easy it was to roll out the 100% whole grain dough. It wasn’t fragile and the finished product had a lovely smooth texture, though the noodles indeed weren’t as chewy as the 50:50 blend.
All whole grain emmer flour rolled thin
Pasta Maker vs. Hand Rolled and Cut
Having a pasta maker is convenient for making beautifully uniform noodles and sheets of pasta for lasagne or ravioli, especially when you’re working with a large volume of dough. You can see how a pasta maker works in Breadtopia’s Kamut ravioli and za’atar pasta recipes, and if you have one you could use it with this recipe too, though I did this process by hand. I love rolling out pasta dough with a rolling pin and cutting it with a knife. I find it relaxing and a workout at the same time. I even enjoy the less uniform end product, though you don’t want the dough thickness to vary so much that a single boiling time isn’t effective for all the pasta you’re cooking.
Folded and cut with a knife
The video below shows the recipe steps including the target dough hydration. Given the different absorbency of wheat varieties and flour extractions, along with egg size variation, it’s important to make this dough by feel in addition to grams. The pasta dough should be quite stiff when you knead it just after mixing. After wrapping and resting it for 30 minutes, the dough will feel a little softer and more hydrated but still quite sturdy.
Emmer Wheat (Farro) Pasta
Emmer wheat is wonderfully suited to pasta making with its soft nutty flavor and impressive strength for rolling thin and cutting. Enjoy these recipe variations or try one of your own.
Ingredients
100% emmer whole grain pasta
50% emmer whole grain pasta
Instructions
Here are more recipes that use emmer wheat:
50% Emmer (Farro) Sourdough Bread
Whole Emmer Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Loaf with Maple and Beer
Emmer Wheat Pie Crust with Blueberry Filling
Shopping List
Emmer Whole Grain Flour
$13.60 – $127.10Emmer Wheat Berries
All Purpose Flour
Danish Dough Whisk — Large
Eppicotispai Stackable Pasta Drying Rack
$26.00$23.00Breadtopia’s Choice Kitchen Scale
$18.00JK Adams Dowel Rolling Pin
$18.00Eppicotispai Fettuccine Cutter Rolling Pin
$6.50$4.50Eppicotispai XL Collapsible Pasta Drying Rack
$24.95$19.00Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls — Set of 3
$39.99Emmer Wheat (Farro) Pasta