I didn’t know how easy it was to make homemade noodles. My grandma used to make them and it seemed like she worked at it all day long. Obviously, I was wrong or wasn’t paying attention to how long it actually took. I found a recipe and gave it a try.
Place one cup of all-purpose flour, in a small bowl. Now make a ‘dent’ in the center of the flour, carefully crack the egg and add to the flour. Using the half eggshell, fill with milk and stir it into the egg and flour mixture, using a fork. If all the flour doesn’t mix into a ball, more milk is needed. I keep using the eggshell to measure because it keeps me from dumping too much from the milk carton. I try half the eggshell first and if that’s not enough, I do another 1/2 of the shell. The dough needs to be on the sticky side and will form a ball around the fork when the consistency is right. This makes a small batch, so you may want to double the ingredients.
I just use my counter top to roll out the dough. Be sure to generously flour the surface first. I take the ‘ball’ out of the bowl and work it a little bit to get the ‘cracks’ out. If it’s smooth, it will roll out without any breaks in the dough. Using your rolling pin, make a few passes over dough, then pick it up and turn it over and repeat process. Keep rolling until your dough is very thin. The recipe said ‘paper thin’ which was ok, but my family likes theirs ‘chewier’ so I left some thicker, probably about 1/4 inch and they cooked up just fine.
Now take a pizza cutter and run the length of the rolled out noodle dough, making strips about 3/8 inch wide. Don’t worry if they get bigger and then smaller, unless you use a ruler, you just can’t get them perfect. Some of mine were almost 3/4 of an inch wide in places and they cooked up and were eaten up just like the rest of the batch!
The absolute best part of this recipe is YOU DON’T HAVE TO DRY THESE NOODLES! You can use them right away. So get your broth boiling and drop the noodles in a few at a time. Don’t just dump the whole batch or they will cook into a big lump. Also stir every so often as you add them and as they cook. Once the noodles are in the boiling broth, the heat can be reduced to a low boil. Continue cooking until noodles are tender, about 30 minutes.
Considering the cost of frozen noodles (I priced a 12oz. bag and they were over $3.50), you can make these for under 50 cents.
These can be used to make a hearty stew with beef, chicken or turkey and noodles served over mashed potatoes for a main dish, or made into a delicious soup. They are quite universal.
There you have it, easy homemade noodles and the best part, you don’t have to wait hours to let them dry. Come to think of it, I bet that’s why it seemed like Grandma’s noodles took all day. She dried hers, but with this recipe, there’s no need. Just beat ’em and eat ’em! Enjoy!
