Friday, December 17, 2010

Home Made Noodles

Noodle Drying Rack From My BIL Dave
  This is a noodle recipe that our family loves. Home made noodles have so much more flavor than store bought noodles, and as with anything home made, you know what goes into them. We have added powdered dried tomatoes and powdered dried spinach to make the red and green colored noodles at times, and it adds a little bit of fun as well as a nutritional boost as well. We also like to use sprouted wheat flour that we make to make a nice wheat noodle. Half white and half wheat makes a nice noodle.You can also use spelt or whatever wheat-type grain you prefer.

Egg Noodles

2 cups flour
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
2 t. salt
1/4-1/2 c. water

  Add salt to flour. Making a well add in eggs, mixing with a fork. Stir in water 1T. at a time mixing thouroughly after each addition. Knead till smooth about 10 min. Divide into 4 parts, roll and cut.
  We have a noodle maker that I use to roll them out but a regular rolling pin will do the job just the same. Cut a little smaller than the size you want them, as they grow a bit when they boil.  For my egg noodles I roll them to a "5" setting on my Atlas. For spaghetti noodles I only go to a "3" setting.
  For those who have never made noodles or are just starting out with a noodle maker, you don't want the dough too stiff (or it won't stick together). You also want to be careful about adding too much water at once to prevent the dough from being to sticky on the table or in the rollers. I make sure to have a little extra flour on hand to sprinkle on the pieces before I advance to the next setting to make sure they are staying dry enough. It does take some practice.
   The secret to great noodles is to make sure they have enough water to boil in. Make sure the pot is big enough, and the water at a full rolling boil before you add the noodles.The noodles should move freely. My mother always added salt to the water to help flavor the noodles, but I never really noticed much of a difference. I have been told that adding salt will make the water boil faster, but you know the saying, a watched pot...
Sprouted Wheat Noodles
  These noodles have saved me a bundle, and help me teach the children to be involved (other than stealing the noodles to eat!)
I hope your family enjoys them as much as we do!

--Jamie

5 comments:

  1. Where did your BIL find that beautiful drying rack for your noodles?! I didn't even know they made such a thing, and have been draping my homemade noodles over whatever I could find... lol. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually I showed him a picture in my Lehmans catalog and told him that was what I wanted. I didn't think I'd actually get one but all the parts could be found at a Michaels or Lowes. The base is a wooden plaque, a wooden ball and a thick 1" dowel with holes drilled through it for six 1/4" dowels that are about 15" long each. On top is another wooden ball for decoration. all held together by 2 long screws.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm looking at adding this to my list of skills... sometime soon (baby #3 due soon ;). I have some questions for you! How long do the noodles last? How do you preserve them? Do they dry and look similar to store bought, or is it completely different? Thanks for posting this!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Noodles kept dry and in an airtight container have lasted indefinitely. If you're worried about them being made with raw eggs, you could use them right away, refrigerate for a day or so before using, or even freeze them. I usually use them up pretty quickly. This makes a nice pot of noodles, about 2 quarts worth (at least). I cut mine to the length I want right over the pot as it is boiling. They will look a bit different from the store bought when dried, as the store bought is usually made with durum wheat. Depending on what you use for flour it will look different. I would have to say that they are a bit more brittle than store bought, so putting them into a Rubbermaid type container would be good if you are planning on keeping them long. I usually break mine into a medium size noodle to avoid that and keep them in a air tight container or freezer bag. Hope this helps you some. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Tell me what you think when you get a chance to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your noodle recipe is basically the same as what my grandmother passed on to us. I use mixture of unbleached white and whole wheat bread. We love them. I usually freeze them as it's not so critical that they're totally dry.
    Just discovered this site through OTGN. Definitely will bookmark and be back. Haven't time to read all right now.

    ReplyDelete