Sourdough Pici Pasta

My sourdough pici pasta recipe is made by hand with fine semolina flour, sourdough starter, and olive oil (no egg). Choose from a quick same-day option or ferment overnight to deepen the flavor. Feeds 2-3 people.

Pici pasta is Tuscany’s answer to spaghetti, except it’s thicker, more rustic, and rolled by hand. I’ve had the pleasure of sampling authentic pici in Tuscany last spring, served in pools of rich, garlicky tomato sauce.

But this is sourdough pici. I’ve found that ~50 g sourdough starter (active or discard) enhances the taste and texture while maintaining the integrity of the traditional chewy strands I tried back in Italy.

To keep things easy (and quick to memorize!) I used my sourdough cavatelli as the base dough, and added 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil to make it easier to roll- it’s a tenderizer. For reference, typical pici pasta does not contain egg (also a tenderizer).

My sourdough pici can be made on the same day – which is a great option if you have extra starter leftover from making sourdough bread – or fermented overnight in the fridge to deepen the flavor.

But Here’s The Problem.

Pici is often recommended as a beginner pasta shape. And while I agree the shaping technique is actually quite easy (you’re basically rolling the dough into long, skinny worms), what you gain in ease, you lose in time. Large batches take a while.

My solution isn’t novel, or even clever for that matter. But it is practical: make hand-shaped pastas in small batches! Even as a beginner, you’ll gain enough practice and repetition to master the pici shaping technique without the overwhelm of large scale pasta production.

Plus, making sourdough pici from scratch is fun! When’s the last time you let loose and made skinny pasta worms by hand?! Let me walk you through the instructions, step-by-step.

How To Make Sourdough Pici Pasta {Step-By-Step Recipe}

Step 1: Make The Dough

To Start: Add fine semolina flour to a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add warm water and sourdough starter. Give it a quick mix with a fork (like you’re beating an egg), then add the olive oil separately.

Keep mixing. The dough will look dry and crumbly at first. This is standard when working with gritty semolina flour. Form the dough into a rough ball, trying your best to incorporate all of the flour. A little bit of water on your hands will help it stick. Cover and rest for 5-10 minutes.

Knead The Pasta Dough

Now, knead the dough until it goes from gritty to smooth, pushing and turning it intuitively as you go. Pici dough is stiff, but slightly softer than my sourdough cavatelli because I added olive oil. When it becomes smooth on the surface, you’re done.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour. Or chill overnight to further ferment the dough.

Step 2: Shape The Pici {Hand-Rolled}

Onto the fun part! First, you’ll cut the dough into 4 quarters. Then flatten one piece to about the thickness of pita bread (an excellent visual reference- thank you, Pasta Everyday). Turn the dough so it’s horizontal and cut across into 1/4-inch strips.

To roll, you have to start in the middle and work your way outwards being mindful not to press down too much. Although pici are supposed to be irregular, you can avoid big dents and bumps with a bit of awareness. I use flat palms to roll. You can also use flat fingertips. Watch my video.

For pici thickness, about 2-3 mm is standard. But I cannot visualize this in my head without a ruler. Think: thicker than spaghetti, more like bucatini. I tend to roll mine on the thinner side taking water absorption into account when they cook. They will get fatter.

As for the length, it’s up to you. You’ll see in the video that my pici strand is very long. I could’ve cut it in half but it didn’t cross my mind. I was in the zone!

To finish, dust with plenty of semolina flour, and place in a coiled shape or arrange with wiggle room on a sheet pan. Pici is notorious for sticking together.

To Cook, Serve & Store

Sourdough pici pasta will cook in ~3 minutes in boiling salted water. Do a test batch first to check for doneness, 1 strand at a time. Your pici might be thicker than mine! They should be tender but chewy. Use tongs to transfer the pici directly into a simmering pasta sauce of your choice. A simple pomodoro or Ragú Bolognese will do.

PS: If you’re not cooking right away, cover and store sourdough pici at room temperature for ~1 or chill for 6-8 hours to overnight. In line with all of my sourdough pasta, I usually make mine in the morning, chill, and then cook for dinner. I use this high-sided sheet pan with lid for convenience.

Food Styling & Photography: Saltwater Studio