Homemade Noodles Recipe

Place flour and salt in a food processor bowl.

Add the eggs.

Process at maximum speed, I use the normal, S blade attachment.

If dough doesn't come together (the eggs might be too small), you can add a little oil, olive or any other vegetable oil you have. No more than 2-3 tbsp - I know this trick from somebody who learned how to cook pasta in Italy :) 

Don't add water at all.

This is what dough should look like when it comes together.

Turn dough onto the table and shape into a ball. 

The same result can be obtained through the traditional method: in a bowl, mix together flour, beaten eggs and salt. The only difference is that you'll have to knead to make it smooth and your hands will be covered with dough. It all depends on the circumstances, possibilities and preferences.

Divide dough in 4 smaller pieces.

Shape them into 4 balls and cover with plastic wrap. 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or even more, the longer it stays in the fridge, the easier it is to later work the dough.

After dough has rested, take each ball, dust it with a little flour and flatten with your hands.

Here, again, we have 2 options: we either use the rolling pin to roll the dough, or the pasta machina, like I did. 

Mine is more than 5 years old, bought from a supermarket, it was very cheap, maybe 30 lei back then. It does its job, which is enough for us. 

I pass the dough 2 times through 3 different levels, gradually making it thinner. As you can see, dough is very smooth and thin, which is harder to obtain with a rolling pin and takes more time.

Place the thin strips of dough on kitchen towels and let dry for about 1 hour. After 30 minutes, turn on the other side, to dry completely.  

In the summer, the air may vary, either be more humid or more dry, so it's important that you check periodically. If dough is dry on top and easy to shape, we can continue working the dough. If it's already too dry, you'll see the noodles will get crumbly and hard to work with. 

If dough is not dry enough, the noodles will stick to each other, we'll need to use more flour, and we don't really want that. 

New tip which I learned right after I posted the recipe - the strips of dough can dry quickly in the pan or in the oven, but be careful no to dry them off too much.

First option is using the pasta machine to cut the noodles. Use the spagetti attachment and pass dough through it.

Then you can cut the noodles the size you want.

Or, the other option, using the knife - cut dough into 5cm wide stripes.

Fold each stripe in half. 

Place 3-4 folded stripes one above the other.

Cut into strips, as thin as possible. 

You may need to dust the dough with flour when you cut/work the stripes, but try to use as little as possible, just enough to make work easier.

As you cut the noodles, unroll them so that they won't stick together.

Place noodles on a tray in a thin layer, so that they aren't glued together, let dry.

O this tray, half of the noodles were cut using the knife, the other half, using the pasta machine. Can you see any difference? 

The only difference would be that the ones cut but hand are not as perfect and they do look like homemade noodles. This is already a matter of preference :)

After a few hours, spread the noodles on the tray, so that they dry everywhere. I let them dry for 2-3 days, then I place them in a hermetic container and store in the pantry.

You can cook the noodles the same way you cook pasta: place in 3 times more water and a little salt, boil for 7-10 minutes, depending on how thick they are. 

Enjoy!