Sourdough Tagliatelle
Tagliatelle is the shape most people should start with. The ribbons are wide enough to be forgiving if your sheet is slightly uneven, and they carry a butter or ragù sauce better than anything narrower.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 batch sourdough pasta dough (200g 00 flour, 100g discard, 2 eggs, ½ tsp salt)
To finish
- Semolina flour, for dusting
- 50g butter and a handful of sage, or your sauce of choice
Method
- Prepare the dough. Make and rest the sourdough pasta dough as directed. It must be properly rested or the sheets will fight you.
- Roll the sheets. Roll each quarter down to the second-thinnest setting on your machine — about 1mm. You should just be able to read print through it.
- Dry briefly. Lay the sheets on a floured cloth for 10 minutes. A slightly leathery surface cuts far more cleanly than a damp one.
- Fold and cut. Dust a sheet generously with semolina, fold it over itself loosely three times, then cut across into 8mm ribbons with a sharp knife.
- Shake out. Lift the cut ribbons with your fingers and shake gently to unfurl them. Toss with more semolina and coil into loose nests.
- Cook. Drop into well-salted boiling water for 2–3 minutes until just tender. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water before draining.
- Sauce. Melt the butter with the sage until it foams and smells nutty. Add the drained pasta and a splash of the reserved water, tossing hard until glossy.
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
What is the difference between tagliatelle and fettuccine?
Width, mostly. Tagliatelle is traditionally cut around 6–8mm wide and comes from Emilia-Romagna. Fettuccine is a little narrower and is more associated with Rome. The dough is essentially the same, so cut to whichever width you prefer.
How do I stop tagliatelle sticking together?
Dust generously with semolina rather than flour after cutting, shake the ribbons out so they are not compressed, and coil them into loose nests rather than tight bundles. Do not cover them while they dry.
Can I dry tagliatelle to keep?
Yes. Leave the nests on a floured tray at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours until snap-dry, then store in an airtight jar for up to a month. Dried nests take about 4 minutes to cook rather than 3.
What sauce suits sourdough tagliatelle?
The faint tang of the sourdough works especially well with rich sauces — a slow ragù, brown butter and sage, or mushrooms and cream. It is less suited to very delicate seafood sauces, where the sourness can compete.
More sourdough pasta
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