People who belong to the younger generation may question why those in the older generation go to the trouble of making their own noodle, when they may be obtained for reasonable price at most supermarkets. The answer is that making homemade noodles allows the cook to incorporate ingredients as desired, within the limits of good culinary practices.
Basic Ingredients
Commercial pasta production generally utilize a dough containing about 70% solids and 30% water, which is a good general guideline for the maximum amount of liquid needed for a given amount of meal or flour. This works out to one egg per cup of sifted flour.
High Protein Noodles
The quantity and quality of protein in noodles may be increased considerably by the addition of certain ingredients. For example, the substitutions of defatted soy flour for only one-eighth of the wheat flour raises the quantity of protein by about 40%, and makes the protein quality almost equal to that of animal protein. It is best not to add nonfat dry milk, because this ingredient weakens dough. Professional pasta makers get around this problem by adding carrageenan to strengthen the dough.
Seasoning and Spices for Noodle Doughs
These should be added as fine, dry powder, because larger particle may weaken the noodles. Some typical seasonings that might be used are basil, bay leaf, garlic, onion, oregano, sage and thyme.
Vegetable Ingredients
Purees made from deeply colored vegetables add considerable color to noodles. However, only limited amounts of purees can be use without adding excessive water. It might be wise to experiment first by adding small amounts of food purees such as beets, carrots, creamed spinach, green beans, beans, sweet potato, and tomato soup. However ration of egg to flour would have to be reduced in order to allow for the water in the puree.
Homemade Noodles
