How to Make Your Own Lasagna Noodles

There was a time when money was short and I wanted to make lasagna for dinner. I checked in the pantry and found I had all the ingredients except the noodles. I did not have any money to go buy noodles so just about gave up the idea when my oldest daughter reminded me that grandma used to make her own noodles. I called my mom and got the following instructions. The noodles were perfect in the lasagna and now whenever I have time, I make my own noodles because my family prefers the lasagna that way.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Eggs
• Flour
• Salt
• Rolling pin
• Knife
• Time
• Large work surface

1. 
   Flour crater and eggs

   Clean off a large working surface, either on your counter top or the kitchen table. Sprinkle it liberally with flour and then mound about two-three cups of flour in the center of the workspace. Mound it up to look like a volcano, with a large crater in the middle. Break the eggs into the flour crater.

2. Using a fork to start with, break the egg yolks and start slowly incorporating the flour from the edges of the crater into the egg mixture. Keep working the flour in until you have a nice soft but not sticky dough. Add more flour or egg as needed. This is not an exact science; it is one that is done by feel and texture only.

3. 
   Rolling out the dough

   Knead the dough until it is pliable and not sticky. Then roll it out with the rolling pin until you have a sheet of dough about ¼ inch thick. You might want to divide the ball of dough into two balls to start if you have made a lot of it.

4. Cut the rolled out dough into strips about 1 inch wide, using a sharp knife. Once the noodles are all cut, separate them and lay them out on sheets of paper towels or thin linen towels to dry. Leave them for about an hour, turn them over and let them dry another hour.

5. Boil the dried noodles for about 8 minutes in a very large pot of water. Use them in your lasagna recipe (See resources) or store them in the refrigerator for no more than a few days. You can store the dried, uncooked noodles a bit longer, but make sure they are thoroughly dried before putting them loosely in a plastic bag.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to knead the dough thoroughly to make sure it is very pliable and all the eggs are incorporated into the flour.
• It is better to make noodles on a day that is not too humid – the dough will be sticky otherwise.

Resources

• How to Make the Best Lasagna You Ever Tasted

[DenaEBolton]

on 3/1/2009 My daughter-in-law stumbled upon this very recipe accidentally when she tried to make dumplings. We both thought it would make great pasta. Thanks for validating our thoughts. 5*

[eliptica]

on 2/25/2009 Home made noodles taste so much better than the dry stuff in the store. Thanks for the great recipe.

[JanieWrites]

on 2/19/2009 I'm glad you liked them - using the pizza cutter is a great idea. Thanks!

[luv2laugh]

on 2/9/2009 oooh, I want to try this. Looks great.