45 MINSSIDEVEGETARIAN

Domáce Rezance a Fliačky

Traditional Slovak handcrafted egg pasta rolled paper-thin by hand, cut into wide ribbons (široké rezance), square fliačky, or fine soup vermicelli, dried on clean tablecloths for long-term pantry storage.

YIELD4–6 Portions (~600 g Fresh Pasta / ~450 g Dried)
PREP35 mins (+ 20 mins rest + 24 hrs drying)
COOK3 mins

Ingredients

Handcrafted Egg Pasta Dough (Cesto)

  • 400 g All-Purpose (AP) flour (or 200 g Italian Tipo 00 + 200 g Fine Semolina / Semola Rimacinata for optimal toothiness) + extra for rolling
  • 4 Large eggs (cold or room temperature, ~200 g total egg weight)
  • 1 Large egg yolk (for extra elasticity and rich golden color)
  • 3 g Fine sea salt
  • 15 ml–25 ml Cold water (only if needed depending on flour absorption)

Classic Sweet & Savory Serving Options

  • S Makom (Sweet Poppy Seed): 120 g Finely ground blue poppy seeds, 60 g powdered sugar, and 60 g melted foaming butter.
  • S Tvarohom a Slaninou (Curd Cheese & Bacon): 200 g Dry curd cheese (tvaroh), 150 g smoked slab bacon lardons (seared crisp), and a dollop of sour cream.
  • S Orechmi (Sweet Walnut): 120 g Ground walnuts, 50 g powdered sugar, and foaming brown butter.
  • Fliačky s Kapustou (Caramelized Cabbage Squares): Braised sweet or sour cabbage tossed with square fliačky.

Method

  1. Build Flour Well: Sift flour onto a clean wooden board and make a wide, deep well in the center. Add whole eggs, egg yolk, and fine sea salt into the center.
  2. Incorporate & Knead: Using a fork, gently whisk the eggs, gradually drawing in flour from the inner walls. Once a thick paste forms, switch to your hands and bring the dough together into a ball (add a tiny drizzle of cold water only if dry flour remains). Knead vigorously with the heels of your hands for 8–10 minutes until smooth, firm, and elastic.
  3. Rest Gluten: Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap or cover with an inverted warm ceramic bowl. Let rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes to relax the gluten structure.
  4. Roll Paper-Thin: Divide the rested dough into 2 equal pieces. Lightly dust your wooden surface with flour. Using a long rolling pin (valček), roll the dough out from the center outwards, rotating frequently, until it becomes translucent and paper-thin (roughly 1 mm thick).
  5. Dry Slightly (Pre-Cut): Lay the rolled dough sheets on a clean cotton tablecloth for 10–15 minutes until the surface is dry to the touch but still pliable (this prevents noodles from sticking together when cutting).
  6. Cut Shapes:
    • Široké Rezance (Wide Noodles): Dust sheet lightly with flour, loosely roll into a flat log, and slice crosswise with a sharp knife into 1 cm ribbons. Unfurl into loose nests.
    • Fliačky (Square Pasta): Cut dough sheet into long 2 cm strips, then cut crosswise to create 2x2 cm flat squares.
    • Tenké Rezance do Polievky (Fine Soup Noodles): Slice tightly rolled dough into 1 mm fine ribbons.
  7. Air-Drying for Pantry Storage: Spread the cut pasta out in a single loose layer over clean cotton or linen tablecloths in an airy room. Allow to dry completely for 24 hours until brittle and snapping dry. Transfer to glass jars or paper bags for pantry storage (shelf life up to 12 months).
  8. Boil & Dress: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Drop fresh pasta (cook 2–3 minutes) or dried pasta (cook 4–5 minutes) until tender with a gentle bite (al dente). Drain, toss immediately in foaming melted butter or rendered lardons, and fold with ground poppy seeds, sweet walnuts, or curd cheese.
Chef's Tip: This is another tradition my dad carries on from my grandma. Even at her old age, I always loved watching her work the dough—her speed, precision, and rolling technique were effortless perfection. While Italian Tipo 00 yields razor-thin, delicate soup noodles, blending it 50/50 with fine semolina or using unbleached AP flour captures that authentic rustic toothiness needed to hold onto buttery poppy seeds and caramelized cabbage.