Noodles - The Basic Dough (Part 1 in a Multi Part Series)

I've chosen to make my first official post on this food and drink blog a post about noodles. Many a fond memory in my life hearkens back to this slippery, saucy little food item, and it is one of my absolute favourite things to make. It is both a crowd pleaser and much simpler to make than you might imagine. I do highly recommend spending ~$100 and getting a "noodler" (I have the Atlas Mercato manual machine and I absolutely love it - a funny story about that later).

I'll start this post with the basic noodle recipe, and it is one I will link back to in future posts. All of my flour based noodle recipes essentially build off of this one simple recipe. Please be careful not to blink through the next couple of lines lines as they contain the entire recipe. Ready? Here it goes:

1 egg
1/2 cup of all purpose flour

Did you miss it? Here it is again in picture form:



I've heard lots of chefs on popular TV shows talk about making a mound out of your flour then making a well, slowly mixing in the egg, blah blah... It can be much simpler. Put the flour in a bowl, add the egg, mix together with a fork until all flour is incorporated.  That's all you need to do to get started.



There are however 2 important steps: kneading and resting. The kneading technique: roll pressing down, then fold over. Repeat. It's quite simple. If you notice your dough starting to break, add a "wetted finger tips'" amount of water. By that I mean, just the slightest amount. A little goes a long way here. Once the dough becomes a smooth ball and is no longer sticky, wrap in plastic wrap and rest for 20-30 minutes. Again, this is crucial.  It allows the gluten to relax (sorry, no GF option of this one just yet - a future post perhaps).



(Kneaded, Rested)

For all of the bread makers out there, this dough will be nothing like what you're used to.  It is much more dense and stiff.  As long as it comes together, is relatively smooth and isn't sticky, you're in good shape.  A dough that is too wet will never roll out, or make noodles that don't stick together.

Once the dough has rested, it is time to run it through "the Noodler."  This machine has a bit of history for me.  You have to know that growing up, my mother worked days and nights both at our family business and at home to keep a business running and keep the family functioning.  As many a mother knows, either one of those can be a full time job.  So when my dad brought home a pasta machine as a sweet gift, in the middle of our business's busy season, mom was none too pleased.  Our first crack at making noodles with that machine was a complete failure to put it nicely.  A total lack of kneading and resting our dough was the least of our concerns.  I think mom's appreciation for the new title of "artisan pasta maker," that my dad's gift implied, showed through in the final product.

When we tried to feed it through the thinnest setting in one big ball without smoothing out and shaping the dough, it came out as crumbs, lumps and ribbons and jammed the machine.  Immediately thereafter, that machine went back in the box and in the corner of the laundry room cupboard not to be seen again until I snuck it into the moving van when I moved away to college (12 years later when making pasta for my parents when they were visiting dad asked where I got the machine.  It was a fun rehash of a "fond" memory).

Now that you know how to make the basic dough, stay tuned for the next post "The Noodler and the Proper Noodling Technique" to see my tips for making noodles better than the first time my mom and I attempted it.