Sourdough Orecchiette

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Small ear-shaped sourdough orecchiette scattered on a floured wooden board

Sourdough Orecchiette

🟢 Intermediate ⏱ 50 min + 1 hr rest 🍝 4 servings

Orecchiette means little ears, and this is the one shape that needs no machine at all — just a knife and your thumb. It is also eggless, so it is the recipe to reach for when you want pasta and the box is empty.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 200g fine semolina flour (semola rimacinata)
  • 50g 00 flour or plain flour
  • 100g sourdough discard, cold
  • 60–80ml warm water
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

To finish

  • Semolina flour, for dusting
  • Purple sprouting broccoli, garlic, chilli and olive oil

Method

  1. Mix. Combine the flours and salt. Add the discard and most of the water, and bring together into a firm dough. It should feel considerably stiffer than a bread dough.
  2. Knead. Knead for 10 minutes until completely smooth. Semolina takes longer to hydrate than wheat flour, so persevere — it will stop feeling gritty.
  3. Rest. Wrap and rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
  4. Roll ropes. Cut off a piece and roll it into a rope about 1.5cm thick, keeping the rest covered.
  5. Cut and drag. Cut the rope into 1cm pieces. Press each one with a blunt round-tipped knife and drag it towards you across the board so it curls over the blade.
  6. Turn inside out. Flip each curl over your thumb tip to turn it inside out. That gives you the domed ear with its rough outer surface — the roughness is what grips the sauce.
  7. Dry. Spread on a semolina-dusted tray and leave for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
  8. Cook. Boil in well-salted water for 4–6 minutes. These are thicker than rolled pasta so they take longer. Taste one to check.
Tip: A stiff dough is what makes this shape work. If it feels soft enough to be pleasant, it is too wet — add semolina until it feels almost too firm.

No starter yet?

Every recipe here begins with a live culture. You can buy sourdough starter from us — lab-verified, active in about two hours, free UK delivery. Then keep the discard for pasta.

FAQ

Do I need a special knife for orecchiette?

No. A round-tipped table knife is what is traditionally used in Puglia — the blunt edge drags the dough rather than cutting it. A sharp knife will slice through instead of curling the dough over.

Why is there no egg in orecchiette?

Southern Italian pasta is traditionally made from semolina and water alone, without egg, unlike the egg-rich pasta of the north. It gives a firmer, chewier bite that suits the sturdy shape.

My orecchiette are not curling. What am I doing wrong?

The dough is probably too soft, or the board too smooth. The dough should be quite stiff, and a wooden board with a little texture grips far better than a polished worktop or marble.

How long do orecchiette take to cook?

Four to six minutes, considerably longer than rolled shapes, because they are thicker in the dome. Start tasting at four minutes — you want them tender but still with some resistance.

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