How to Use a Pasta Machine to Make Homemade Pasta

When you've folded and rolled the piece of dough 5 times, then begin rolling it thinner, by turning the dial to the next narrowest setting (on my machine, this is number 2). Roll the pasta through the machine. At this point, it's best to work with a helper, so one person can turn the crank and the other person can guide the dough into the machine with one hand and catch it with the other hand, being careful not to stretch or tear the sheet. Without folding the dough between settings, keep reducing the settings until the dough is rolled as thinly as you'd like (I usually go up to setting 6 on my machine). If the sheet of pasta gets too long, you can cut it in half with a knife or a dough scraper – otherwise you'll end up with unmanageably long noodles.