There’s this whole Pantheon of foods that are easily enough purchased at the grocery store—but are so, so much better when made from scratch in your own kitchen.
Tops on the list, in my opinion, is butter. The fine artisan bread that’s so widely available now (in Cincinnati thanks to Blue Oven and Anderson Brick Oven, among other sources) just demands a really good butter, and homemade butter is so easy to make and so perfectly delicious that I don’t put anything else on a fat slice of crusty hearth bread.
Also better than store-bought, IMO: homemade yogurt, sea salt crackers, granola.
Let’s keep expanding that better-than-store-bought list, shall we? Let’s add homemade noodles.
I spent a lovely, lovely day last week with my Mom and Grandma, enjoying lunch and conversation. I took the opportunity to schedule a noodle-making lesson with Grandma: Her homemade chicken and noodles was my very favorite dinner at her home when I was growing up, and I always thought of Grandma’s homemade noodle recipe as some kind of mystery, something that took tons of practice to get right. Turns out, Grandma was on to something: It’s easy and fun to make homemade egg noodles. Plus, they store beautifully in the freezer.
Make a batch of homemade egg noodles (it’s a fun kids-in-the-kitchen project). While you’re going to the trouble, make your own chicken stock. Classic comfort food. Thanks, Grandma!
homemade egg noodle recipe
serves 4
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1–3 tsp. water
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and the salt together. Place the flour in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Add the egg/salt mixture and stir with a fork to combine. Add 1 teaspoon of water and stir to combine. If the dough feels dry or crumbly, add more water a few drops at a time. Dig your hands into the dough and knead for 2 or 3 minutes to combine thoroughly, adding more water or flour if needed to create a smooth dough that's slightly tacky. Transfer the dough to a flour-dusted pastry cloth and divide it into thirds. Turn the mixing bowl over the dough to cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes. Take one portion of dough and dust it liberally (and the pastry cloth) with flour; roll it into a large circle that's as paper-thin as you can get it. If the dough seems too stretchy and doesn't want to roll, let it rest for another 30 minutes. Repeat rolling the other two portions of dough. Set the rolled dough rounds aside on paper towel to dry. The dried dough should feel slightly leathery: rough on the surface but still pliable. When it reaches this point, roll each round into a cylinder and cut the dough into 1/2-inch strips. Unfurl the noodles and place them on a rimmed baking sheet to dry, preferably overnight, tossing occasionally to ensure even drying. To store your homemade egg noodles, place them in a zip-top plastic bag; they'll keep well for 6 months. Cook the noodles for 5 to 8 minutes in well-salted boiling water.
My mom used to make homemade noodles, and make a chuck roast, cooked to fall apart tenderness and then shred it up and add the noodles. We used to love when dinner was beef and noodles. My mom has dementia now and it’s too late for me to get her recipe but I feel your grandma’s recipe is very close to my mom’s . Mom would pour the flour out on a floured table and make a well in the center and add the eggs and slowly with her hands, bring the flour into the egg mixture. I can remember watching her roll them out, taking a small paring knife and cutting the strips of noodles and then letting them dry.
Brenda, thanks for the comment! When we were making noodles, Grandma talked about beef and noodles, which she made with a good chuck roast. Sounds like we have a common food background.
Bryn… what a great tribute to your amazing grandma — she is a neat lady. Who knows… maybe I will try to make homemade noodles someday — they don’t look all that hard (of course I said that about toast, too…).
Jan — thanks for the comment! Dorothy reminds me in a way of Claire: both sweet, resilient, loving, stronger than they look, women who lived whole lives.
And you should try noodles — they’re easy to make!
Okay, this lovely treatise has finally convinced me to try these! They were part of my growing up life yet I’ve never attempted them, assuming they could never stand up to Mom’s. Thanks much, xxoo Aunt G.
AG: It’s funny … I had the impression that Grandma’s homemade noodles were much harder to make, that it was difficult to get the dough just right and that it was hard to roll it thin enough. But when we made them last week, it was much easier than I thought. And they’re just SO good!
I hope your Grandmother will share her recipe for homemade chicken and noodles. ( I remember how much I enjoyed seeing your Grandmother on the David Letterman Show. She is a delight 🙂 )
I can’t wait to try this. I LOVE egg noodles! Thank you for sharing and tell your Grandmother thank you, as well. She’s beautiful!
My mother passed away 3 years ago and I have been trying to replicate her noodles for our entire family…mission accomplished! These are perfect! Thank you!
I have always wanted to try my hand at homemade noodles that remind me of my grandmothers! Thank you for your post, sounds fairly easy. I am happy that you spent this time in the kitchen with your Grandma and shared her noodle secret we all thought was “such a process”. 🙂