Homemade Noodles--How to Make Pasta Noodles From Scratch

I was invited out to a dinner and the hostess had made a batch of homemade noodles to serve along with a farm-raised baked chicken. I remember thinking: why would anyone bother to actually make noodles when you can just buy them? I was somewhat dubious as I looked at the noodles because they were uneven and did not look as "neat" as the store-bought variety; however, to be polite, I took a small serving and tasted them. I was amazed! These noodles were nothing like their store-bought cousins. They had a tender, velvety texture. From that moment I was hooked and decided that I would master the art of noodle-making.

I embarked on a search for recipes for homemade pasta and after trial and error found good recipes and caught on to how to make my own homemade pasta.

Pasta dough is stiff and it takes some kneading. For someone starting out, they might conclude that their noodles are a flop because the dough doesn't "feel right." Noodle dough has a different texture, be patient, work it with your hands and you will be surprised at the finished product. Your noodles may look crude but once they cook up, you will be glad you tried making your own noodles. The process gets easier, as you do it. These days, I think nothing of putting on a batch of homemade noodles and I always make enough so that I can freeze some for a future meal.

I recently had a crowd in and I baked a ham, then I placed my homemade noodles in the casserole dish with the ham and poured cream sauce over the noodles. My guests raved at the meal. They, too, had never sampled homemade pasta and loved it!

These noodles would also be wonderful dropped into homemade chicken soup, as was done in times past or could be used in any homemade soup or stew.

Homemade noodles truly are a special treat and once you master the art of noodle-making, you'll find yourself making your own noodles again and again. Store-bought pasta is fine, for the most part, but homemade noodles are completely different.

If you're a fan of comfort foods, these noodles are hard to beat. They are just so satisfying and filling.

A batch of noodles can be made quickly. This is especially handy if you want to add more ingredients to a soup and don't have pasta on hand or if you are shy on side-dish ideas.

If you've always wondered how to actually make homemade noodles, use the noodle recipes below to make your own noodles.

Wondering how to make homemade noodles? It's as easy as 1-2-3. Use any of the noodle recipes below to get started.

• 2 eggs (scramble with a fork)

• half tsp. salt

Add in:

• 2 cups of flour

• 3-4 tbsp. rich cream (I use 18% table cream) + water, as needed

1. Mix with a wooden spoon and add liquid to moisten flour until a dough ball forms. Knead until light and smooth.
2. Roll out on a floured board and keep working and rolling dough (adding flour) until it is no longer sticky.
3. Roll out dough until it is quit thin because it puffs up when cooking.
4. Cut your noodles with a knife or a pizza wheel. Making homemade pasta noodles with a pizza wheel saves time and is so much easier.

Your noodle dough will feel stiff and this is normal. The key is to continue kneading the dough until it becomes smooth.

1) I flour the counter and once the dough forms into a ball, place it on the counter top and keep working it by heeling it in the flour until the dough becomes smooth and free of small lumps.

2) Divide your dough into palm-sized portions

3) I like to use a marble rolling pin instead of a wood one--the weight helps when rolling out noodle dough and the smooth marble surface (over wood, which dough sticks to) makes for easier clean-up. Make sure you roll your dough out thinly and roll it out on a board.

The very texture of noodle dough is such that if you try to cut it with a regular knife, it stretches and, at times, tears.

A pizza cutter makes the process one hundred percent easier. The wheel effortlessly slices through the noodle dough and you will have long strips of noodles cut out in record time.

I go up and then back down, which makes for faster cutting. It is a good idea to cut your noodles on a cutting board instead of your counter so that wheel does not scratch counter top.

A couple of noodle-making sessions will give you a feel for making your homemade noodles.Once you get onto the process, a batch of noodles can be made quickly. This is especially handy if you want to add more ingredients to a soup and don't have pasta on hand or if you are shy on side-dish ideas.

• I love the velvety texture of homemade noodles.
• I make mine ahead and freeze them. (I recently had a crowd in and defrosted and then placed my homemade noodles in a large casserole dish. I added my cream sauce and kept all warm on top of the stove. Everyone served themselves and most of my guests mentioned that they had never sampled homemade noodles.)
• If I'm shy on groceries, a simple plate of homemade noodles, topped with butter and Parmesan or with a cream sauce makes a satisfying meal.

Want to make a small batch of homemade noodles? This recipe is perfect for two!

• 1 cup of flour

• 1 egg

• salt to taste

• a few drops of milk or water

• 6 eggs

• 1tsp. salt

• 6 tbsp. water

1. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough.
2. Knead well, then roll into thin sheets on a floured surface and cut in long strips.
3. Cook in boiling water until noodles float.

If you want to drop homemade noodles into a pot of homemade soup and are shy on groceries or want to go eggless, make these quick and easy soup noodles:

• 1 cup flour
• 1-2 tsp. oil
• 1/2-1tsp salt
• Enough water to moisten

Knead until smooth, roll out on a floured counter & cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Drop these noodles into your soup about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve it. These noodles are tender and have that velvety texture you only find with homemade noodles.

Use one of the noodle recipes above. Roll noodle dough out into a large thin rectangle on floured counter.

Now, instead of slicing noodles into thin strips, use your pizza cutter and cut dough horizontally and vertically, basically an X's & O's pattern. Cut on the small side. You will have flat, thin squares, which make nice wholesome soup noodles. Drop these into homemade soup and enjoy! Flat square pasta is great for Italian-style dishes.

Get creative with your homemade noodles and plan to make interesting shapes. Cutting your noodles on the diagonal will result in diamond-shaped noodles.

A hand-cranked noodle maker also makes the process easier and if you want professional-looking noodles, you can feed your noodle dough through one of these and evenly cut noodles will slide out the other end.

Drop your noodles into boiling water and cook until they float. Reduce heat to avoid boil-over.

Scoop noodles out with a slotted spoon (and place in a strainer) to save your hot water, then drop in the next batch of noodles.

You can serve your noodles immediately. Reheat noodles you plan on using later in the day.

Drain noodles in a strainer. You can use either a metal or plastic strainer to do the job.

Lay noodles out on a tea towel to reduce moisture before freezing

Freeze in plastic bags or freezer containers

If you prefer to completely dry your homemade noodles, inexpensive drying racks are available--and preferable to using a chair back (as was done years ago) or a broom handle.

Place your fresh noodles on a drying rack and allow to completely dry. Store as you would for regular pasta.

Once you've rolled out your noodle dough and cut all your noodles, you can make short work of your clean-up with a scraper. Scrapers come in metal or plastic material and are ideal for removing hardened bits of dough and flour from cutting boards.

I use these for other clean up tasks when dough sticks to my counters but prefer plastic or rubber to reduce scratching. A scraper makes short work of removing hardened dough from your counter. A great little clean-up tool and one you'll use repeatedly.

Once you've made your homemade noodles, how will you serve them? Noodles can be served using the suggestions below.

• Plain: Serve fresh noodles with butter, salt and pepper, and seasonings of choice.

• Italiano Noodles: Toss noodles with olive oil, salt and pepper, basil, crushed garlic, and parmesan. Top with sliced black olives.

• Chicken and Noodles: If you've baked a chicken, make a gravy with the broth and top your noodles with it. Serve homemade noodles alongside of baked chicken for a hearty old-fashioned dinner--sure to become a family favorite!

• Noodle "Chips": Place noodles in a greased roasting pan and drizzle oil over them. Bake until crispy and golden brown. Dip noodles in dipping sauce of choice.

• Cheesy Noodles: Place noodles in a greased casserole dish and, when warm, toss with butter. Top with grated chedder and serve when cheese is bubbly.

• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: Homemade noodles have a velvety consistency and go particularly well in homemade chicken noodle soup. Prepare soup and drop in a handful or two of frozen noodles before serving.

A large batch of homemade noodles can be made ahead of time and frozen so that when time is at a premium, you have a supply of noodles at the ready.

You can also make noodles using different flour to add wholesomeness to the mix. Why not try homemade whole wheat or homemade buckwheat noodles?

• Use a heavy & smooth rolling pin (dough rolls out easier and doesn't stick to pin as easily)
  
• Use a pizza wheel to effortlessly cut noodles
• Use a slotted spoon to lift noodles out of water, if you need to cook a second batch and want to save your hot water
• Use a scraper to remove hardened dough from counter

It is well worth the effort to make homemade noodles. Use the noodle recipes in this hub to get started making your own fresh noodles.

See my next hub: Tasty Cream Sauces for Noodles to make your own velvety cream sauce to top your homemade noodles.

• The 15-Minute Gourmet: Noodles by Paulette Mitchell
• The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles by Cook's Illustrated
• The Pasta Bible by Christian Teubner
• The Glorious Pasta of Italy by Domenica Marchetti

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