What’s the best flour for pasta?

Since fresh pasta is mostly made of flour, the type you choose can have a profound impact on your results. Want a soft and silky noodle? How about a chewy noodle with some bite? Choosing the right pasta flour will help you get there.

Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne

All-Purpose Flour

All-Purpose Flour: This flour is designed to meet all your baking needs (hence its name), so why wouldn’t it be great in pasta, too? Simply combine with eggs and salt to make fresh, flavorful noodles at home. At 11.7%, the protein content is high enough to support toothsome pasta that’s still easy to roll; the resulting noodles will be more similar to dried boxed pasta than a finer, lower-protein option like Italian-Style Flour, below.

Try it in: Homemade Pasta with Sage Butter and Homemade Cheese Ravioli

Italian-Style Flour

Italian-Style Flour: Fine-textured Italian-Style Flour yields dough that is supple and easy to shape. It’s milled from lower-protein soft red winter wheat, which translates to silky smooth dough and tender pasta. (Learn more about soft wheat and protein here: Hard vs. soft wheat: What’s the difference?) It’s especially good for delicate sheet pasta, like lasagna.

Try it in: Fresh Pasta

Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne

'00' Pizza Flour

'00' Pizza Flour: This Italian-style flour, milled from both hard and soft wheat, has strength to support durable dough while also still being able to roll out easily by hand or in a machine. Its finely milled texture results in soft, satiny noodles.

Try it in: Semolina Pasta, where it’s paired with Semolina Flour

Durum Flour

Durum Flour: Ground from extra-hard wheat (durum comes from the Latin word for hard), this strong flour is high in protein and finely textured. Its strength means you can use it for shaped pastas, like orecchiette, as well as extruded pasta, such as spaghetti. When cooked, pasta made with durum flour retains a toothsome al dente quality; the flour also imparts a lovely pale-yellow hue.

Try it in: Golden Durum Pasta, where it’s paired with Pastry Flour

Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne

Semolina Flour

Semolina Flour: Made from a coarse grind of durum wheat, semolina flour gives a nutty, sweet taste and slightly golden color to homemade noodles. Semolina’s coarse texture makes chewy, hearty pasta that rolls easily through a pasta machine; it also gives the noodles a slightly coarser texture on the exterior so sauce clings better.

Try it in: Semolina Pasta, where it’s paired with ‘00’ Pizza Flour 

Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily

Pasta Flour Blend

Pasta Flour Blend: For toothsome yet tender noodles, make your homemade pasta with Pasta Flour Blend, which gives you the best of everything. This specially designed blend combines durum flour (for strength), semolina (for color and texture), and all-purpose flour, which adds a touch of softness. This flour blend is a handy way to enjoy the benefits of multiple pasta flours without having to keep multiple types of flour in your pantry.

Try it in: Fresh Pasta

You’ve got the flour — now what about the tools? Stock up on a Pasta Machine and Pasta Drying Rack to get started.

Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.