I Made if From Scratch - Noodles
I did it! I made noodles from scratch for the very first time! Well, maybe I should say we, because I did have two little helpers. Saturday I made a big "coming home/ early Valentines day" meal for Tim, who had been out of town since Wednesday. I made the noodles I had planned on making for the contest, used them for lasagna, and served it with homemade bread and cheesecake.
I had never made noodles before and was a bit leery. I pulled out my favorite cookbook, the 1965 edition of the Settlement Cookbook. This is the first source I always go to for old fashioned or made from scratch recipes. I also checked a few places on line, looking for reassurance and tips! Here is the recipe from the book:
Noodle Dough
2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 TB warm water
Sift flour and salt onto a pastry board, make a well in the center and add eggs and water. Work the flour into the egg mixture, adding more water if necessary to make a stiff but malleable dough. Knead on the board until smooth. Divide dough in half and let it rest for 30 minutes, covered. Roll out as thin as possible and cut into any desired shapes. Spread noodles on board and let them dry well before using.
Here is the story in pictures.
The noodles tasted wonderful. They were a little thick. I need a new rolling pin, so that was part of the problem. Also, my work surface was the counter. I think if I worked on the table, I could get more leverage to roll them thinner.
Overall, I would say they are easy to make. If you've made pie crust, you can make noodles. In fact, I think the noodles were easier. They are more time consuming though, because you have to let the dough rest and the noodles dry.
Will I make them again? Yes, but I don't think I would make them for a single meal again, unless it was a special occasion. They were good. They are inexpensive, but at the cost of time. Sometime I'd like to make a large batch (triple or more of the above recipe) that I can dry for later use. I'd also like to try some with spinach or spices.
As a bonus to this, I also made my sauce from scratch. I've made sauce before, but have gotten out of the habit. Apparently, I forgot how easy it is. It left me thinking, "Why on earth do I buy sauce?" I am planning to make it from scratch from now on.
If you have never made noodles before, I encourage you to try them. I think you will be happy you did!
Looking forward to seeing what you have made! Email me, stkappleto at hotmail.com, or you can leave your link here in comments, if you haven't already.
7 comments:
I've made noodles from time to time, but only for soups. Thickness has been a problem for me, even with a pasta roller. I think I need a lot more practice before I get the hang of it properly - practice my family no doubt would enjoy very much!
I posted my updated results from the contest here. We had so much fun making the calzones. I wish we had some pictures though...
One of these days I'll try to make noodles from scratch.
I've been thinking lately about making another batch of spinach noodles and other types too. I agree that they are very labor intensive and would want to make enough to freeze or dry plenty of dinner servings.
Looks wonderful though, great pictures!
I have made this sort of noodle before - my mother's recipe. Where I come from in the South, they are air-dried for a very long time and used to make Chicken and Dumplings.
Janet from Tucson
I have made noodles for year my mother did it all the time.she used to roll the dough up like a jelly roll and cut very thin spig. but you must flour real well.in betwen the layer of dough.
I like noodles.
i love home-made egg noodles. my mother used to make them all the time - and always made alot. i would sneak a few while they were drying (when mother wasnt looking) i will be making her recipe soon. thank you for sharing!
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