Wholegrain & stoneground
The character of pasta begins with the grain. Discover why we use wholegrain flour, how stone milling shapes its qualities and why different grains make different pasta.
Explore the flour
Bite and Soul.
Pasta begins with a choice. Not of shape, but of grain.
At Carleschi, making pasta is an agricultural act. Every grain we choose creates demand for a crop, giving farmers a reason to grow it. By working with distinctive British-grown grains and pulses, we want to encourage greater diversity in our fields and on our plates.
But agricultural purpose alone does not make good pasta.
Good pasta must be a pleasure to eat. It needs flavour, a satisfying bite, a surface that works with the sauce and a texture that holds together through cooking. The grain provides the starting point, but the pasta maker has to understand how to bring out its qualities.
That means paying attention to every stage: how the grain is milled, how the flour absorbs water, how the dough behaves under pressure, how the pasta takes its shape and how slowly and carefully it dries.
Different grains demand different approaches. Einkorn is not spelt. Rivet is not durum. There is no single recipe that brings out the best in all of them.
We make pasta this way because we believe what grows in our fields should be more diverse, and what arrives on our plates should be more interesting.
That's the soul. The bite has to be just as good.
Flour, water & dough
Two ingredients, countless variables. How hydration, mixing and the behaviour of each flour determine the dough we take to the press.
Explore the mixing
Bronze extrusion
Pressure, shape and texture. Discover how bronze dies turn dough into pasta and why the surface and geometry of each shape matter.
Explore extrusion
The art of slow drying
Drying is more than removing water. Discover why temperature, humidity and time must be carefully managed to produce stable, well-made pasta.
Explore slow drying
The Bite
The final test happens in the kitchen. Flavour, texture and the satisfying resistance of good pasta: what makes every mouthful worthwhile.
Explore the bite
The Soul
Making pasta is also an agricultural act. Why the grains we choose, the farmers we work with and the markets we help create matter beyond the plate.
Explore the soul
01 / THE FLOUR
Wholegrain &
Wholegrain &
Stoneground.
Before pasta becomes dough, it is flour. And before it is flour, it is a grain with its own structure, flavour and particular qualities.
A wheat grain is made up of three main parts: the starchy endosperm, the germ and the outer layers, commonly known as bran. Conventional refined flour consists predominantly of endosperm, while wholegrain flour retains the bran and germ as well.
These parts contribute different things. The endosperm supplies most of the starch and much of the protein. The germ contains oils and other nutrients, while the bran contributes fibre, flavour and texture. Together, they give wholegrain flour a character that refined flour cannot entirely reproduce.
At Carleschi, we choose to work with the whole grain. Not because refinement is inherently wrong, but because we want the flavour and character of the grain to remain present in the pasta.
Our grains are stoneground, a milling method in which the grain passes between millstones to produce flour. Stone milling allows us to work with wholegrain flour while retaining the different components of the grain in the finished material.
Wholegrain flour also changes the technical demands of pasta-making. Bran particles influence water absorption and can interrupt the development of the protein network that helps pasta hold together. The oils present in the germ also require careful attention to freshness and storage.
Different grains bring further differences. Spelt, einkorn and rivet do not behave identically when milled or hydrated. Their proteins, starches and grain structures vary, and the flour can change from one harvest to the next.
This is why we cannot simply substitute one grain for another in a standard pasta recipe. Each flour asks us to adjust the process, beginning with the amount of water we add.
The purpose of milling is not to make every grain behave the same. It is to prepare each grain for the pasta it can become.
Discover our grains
02 / THE MIXING
Flour, Water
Flour, Water
& Dough.
Flour and water. Two ingredients, but the relationship between them is anything but simple.
Making dry pasta begins by introducing a carefully measured quantity of water into the flour. Unlike bread-making, the objective is not to develop a soft, elastic dough that can be kneaded and stretched. Pasta for extrusion begins as a relatively dry, granular mixture.
During mixing, water is distributed through the flour and begins to hydrate its starches and proteins. The particles gradually come together into small, irregular crumbs. These will later be compacted under pressure inside the extruder.
Finding the right amount of water is one of the most important decisions we make. Too little, and the mixture may struggle to bind, placing unnecessary stress on the press and producing fragile pasta. Too much, and the dough may become excessively soft or sticky, affecting extrusion, cutting and the stability of the shapes.
Wholegrain flour makes this balance more demanding. Bran absorbs water, while differences in particle size, starch and protein influence how quickly and evenly hydration occurs. A flour that appears dry at the beginning of mixing can behave quite differently after the water has had time to distribute.
And not all wheat proteins behave alike. Durum wheat has become the conventional choice for dry pasta partly because of the structure its proteins can provide. Spelt, einkorn and rivet have different protein characteristics, requiring us to understand how each flour responds to mixing and extrusion.
The same grain can vary between harvests. Growing conditions, milling and flour moisture all influence the amount of water needed. This is why we pay attention to the mixture itself, rather than relying exclusively on a fixed formula.
We look for a consistency that is granular but cohesive: particles that come together under pressure without becoming a wet, continuous mass. It is a small distinction, but one that matters enormously when the dough reaches the press.
Good pasta-making begins long before the pasta has a shape. It begins with understanding what the flour needs.
03 / THE SHAPE
Bronze
Bronze
Extrusion.
Pasta takes its shape under pressure. What enters the press as a granular mixture emerges as something recognisable: rigatoni, fusilli, casarecce or one of the many other shapes we make.
Inside the extruder, a rotating screw moves the hydrated flour towards a die. As the mixture is compressed, the particles come together into a continuous dough, which is forced through precisely shaped openings.
The die determines the pasta's geometry. Its openings control the thickness, diameter and profile of the finished shape. A cutting mechanism then divides the emerging pasta into the required lengths.
At Carleschi, we use bronze extrusion dies. The interaction between the dough and the die produces a characteristically textured surface, rather than the smoother finish often associated with low-friction extrusion materials.
That texture is useful in the kitchen. The small irregularities on the pasta's surface can help sauce cling to it, while the shape itself determines how sauce is collected, held and distributed.
But surface texture is only part of the story. The thickness of a pasta wall, the depth of a ridge and the diameter of a tube influence how heat and water penetrate during cooking. They also determine how the pasta feels when we bite into it.
A thin-walled shape behaves differently from a substantial rigatone. A twisted fusillo presents different surfaces and pockets from a smooth strand of spaghetti. Shape is not simply decorative: it is part of the eating experience.
Extrusion also demands an understanding of the dough. Pressure, temperature, moisture and the speed of the screw all influence how the mixture moves through the press. Excessive pressure or friction can affect the dough, while insufficient cohesion can produce weak or irregular shapes.
This becomes particularly important when working with wholegrain flours and grains with different protein characteristics. We adjust the process to the flour, rather than expecting every flour to behave like conventional durum semolina.
A good pasta shape must do more than look beautiful. It must survive drying, cook evenly and deliver the right texture on the plate.
05 / THE EATING EXPERIENCE
The Bite.
Everything we do in the pastificio is ultimately judged somewhere else: in a kitchen, at a table, with a fork.
Good pasta should be a pleasure to eat. It should have flavour of its own, a satisfying texture and the ability to work with whatever accompanies it. These qualities begin with the grain and develop through every stage of pasta-making.
During cooking, water penetrates the pasta, starch granules absorb moisture and swell, and proteins contribute to the structure that holds everything together. The balance between these processes influences firmness, elasticity and how well the pasta maintains its shape.
In Italian, we call the ideal cooking point al dente: literally, to the tooth. But good bite is not simply a question of making pasta as hard as possible. It is about achieving a satisfying resistance without a raw, chalky centre or an unpleasantly soft exterior.
Different grains produce different textures. The protein characteristics of spelt, einkorn and rivet are not identical to those of conventional durum wheat. Wholegrain flour also brings bran and germ into the structure, changing how the pasta hydrates and behaves during cooking.
Rather than trying to make every grain imitate durum, we work to find the texture that suits each one. Some pasta has a firmer, more substantial bite; others offer a more delicate resistance. Both can be excellent when properly made and cooked.
Flavour matters just as much. Refined pasta often provides a relatively neutral base for a sauce. Wholegrain pasta can contribute more of its own character: nutty, earthy, toasted or subtly sweet notes, depending on the grain.
This changes the relationship between pasta and sauce. Rather than simply carrying other ingredients, the pasta becomes an active part of the dish. A good sauce should complement its flavour, not necessarily conceal it.
Shape contributes another dimension. Ridges, curves, hollows and thickness all affect how sauce is held and how the pasta feels in the mouth. The same flour can deliver a different eating experience depending on the shape we give it.
For us, the bite is the final measure of the craft. The pasta must justify every decision that came before it.
06 / THE AGRICULTURAL ACT
The Soul.
Making pasta is an agricultural act. Long before we mix flour and water, we make a decision about what deserves to be grown.
Agriculture responds to demand. The crops that find reliable markets have a reason to remain in cultivation. Those without buyers can gradually disappear from commercial fields, however interesting their history or valuable their characteristics.
Over time, modern food systems have concentrated production around a relatively small number of crops and varieties. This has brought important gains in yield, consistency and efficiency, but it has also narrowed the diversity of ingredients reaching our kitchens.
At Carleschi, we want to help make room for more. We work with British-grown spelt, einkorn, rivet and pulses, while exploring other grains that might find a place in our fields and our pasta.
Some of these grains have ancient histories. Others belong to more recent agricultural traditions. Their age is not what makes them valuable. What interests us is their potential: how they grow, what they contribute to farming systems, how they taste and what kind of pasta they can make.
That work takes us beyond the pastificio. We collaborate with farmers, millers and grain specialists, exploring varieties, growing conditions and milling characteristics. We want to understand not only whether a grain makes good pasta, but whether it can become a viable crop for British farmers.
Agricultural diversity is not achieved simply by celebrating old varieties. Farmers need crops that work within their farming systems and customers willing to pay for what those crops produce. Without a functioning market, even the most promising grain may remain a curiosity.
This is where pasta can make a difference. It offers a familiar, everyday food through which people can discover unfamiliar grains. A crop that might otherwise struggle to find a market can become something desirable, useful and worth growing again.
Every packet connects a series of decisions: a farmer choosing what to sow, a miller deciding how to process the harvest, a pasta maker learning how to work with the flour and someone choosing what to put on the table.
None of this means that every ancient grain is automatically better, or that every field planted with a different variety becomes more biodiverse. The benefits depend on how crops are grown, where they fit in a rotation and whether their cultivation can be sustained.
But creating demand for a wider range of crops is a practical place to begin. It gives farmers more possibilities and gives eaters more flavours to discover.
The bite makes people come back. The soul gives the work its purpose.
Explore the grains behind our pasta
Worth growing.
Worth making.
Worth eating.
Good pasta begins in the field. But it must prove itself on the plate.
We believe the future of food should make room for more diversity, not less. More grains in our fields. More possibilities for farmers. More flavours on our plates.
Pasta is our way of connecting those ambitions. By turning British-grown grains into something people genuinely enjoy eating, we hope to create lasting demand for crops worth cultivating.
The agricultural purpose matters. So does the pleasure of a really good plate of pasta. Neither should be an excuse to compromise the other.
That's what we mean by Bite and Soul.