Fresh pasta from discard sounds fussy and isn't. The discard brings moisture and a faint, pleasant tang that store pasta simply doesn't have, and you genuinely don't need a machine — a rolling pin and a sharp knife do the job. This is a satisfying Sunday-afternoon kind of recipe, the sort that makes the kitchen smell like flour and turns an hour into something calm.

🍝 Sourdough discard egg pasta

Serves two to three.

Make a well of flour and crack the rest into the middle:

  • 1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose or "00" flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 cup (120g) sourdough discard
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pile the flour on the counter, make a crater, and add the discard, eggs, and salt. With a fork, beat the wet ingredients and gradually pull flour in from the walls until it's too stiff to stir. Then knead with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes — it starts ragged and turns smooth and springy, like a firm earlobe. If it's sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time; if it's dry and cracking, wet your hands and keep going.

Wrap the dough and rest it 30 minutes — this is non-negotiable. Resting relaxes the gluten so it rolls thin without snapping back and tearing. Skip it and you'll fight the dough the whole way.

Cut the dough in quarters (keep the rest wrapped so it doesn't dry out). Roll each piece on a well-floured counter until you can almost see your hand through it, dust the sheet, fold it loosely, and slice into ribbons with a sharp chef's knife. Unfurl, dust again so they don't stick, and cook in well-salted boiling water for just 2 to 3 minutes — fresh pasta is fast. Toss with butter and parmesan, or a quick garlic-and-oil, and don't forget a splash of pasta water to bring the sauce together.

🥟 No-roll discard dumplings

Too tired to roll? Make pinched dumplings instead. Stir 1/2 cup (120g) discard with 3/4 cup (90g) flour, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a thick, sticky batter. Drop teaspoons straight into simmering soup or salted water; they float when done, about 3 to 4 minutes. They're somewhere between a spaetzle and a dumpling, and they're perfect in a brothy soup. A bench scraper makes quick work of portioning the sticky dough.

⚡ Scrap-noodle soup

Save every trimming and odd end from rolling. Drop the scraps into a pot of simmering broth with whatever vegetables need using up, and you've got a five-minute noodle soup that wasted nothing. This is the zero-waste spirit of the whole thing in one bowl.

📝 Baker's note: discard pasta wants a drier dough

Because discard adds water, discard pasta dough runs softer than a classic egg dough — so lean toward a stiffer, drier feel when you're kneading. A dough that's slightly too firm rolls beautifully once rested; a dough that's too wet sticks to everything and tears. When in doubt, add a little more flour and keep kneading.

Next Monday: focaccia and flatbreads — dimpled, golden, swimming in good olive oil.

See you next Monday morning.