Making noodles has been a tradition in our family for who knows how long. It's quite a process cranking all the dough through....seems like my arm always gets tired so fast and my mom always has to say "keep going, we have to go fast so the dough doesn't dry out!" Great arm workout. And it's a good thing it is because the final product is simply carbs slathered in butter. But really, so so good. I love butter noodles with barbecued chicken. mmmm mmmm mmmm.
On that note, WELCOME, MELANI!
I really appreciate that Mel chose this recipe because we can't have a family cookbook without talking about butter noodles. She's done it with plenty of pictures which will be so helpful. I'll let her take it from here.....
The recipe:
Mix 6 eggs with a fork in a mixing bowl. (just to break them up) Then add the 4 cups of flour and mix until dough is stiff.
This is what the dough looks like after mixing. If it seems too dry and the flour won't mix in all the way, you can add a tiny bit of water at a time until it is the right texture. I am not an expert at this point, but the dough has turned out a little different every time I have made it. It always tastes the same in the end. :)
Take the dough out of the mixer and form it into a log. I rub a bit of olive oil on my hands before doing this so it doesn't stick.
Cut the log into equal sized slices. I usually get about 16.
Take each slice and put it through the roller. The first time through should be on a lower setting (2) so the dough comes out thick. Take these to dry for just a few minutes on the back of a chair.
I just use a white sheet that I cut up into pieces and lay these on the chair backs. Flip each one over to dry a bit more and then take them back to the noodle maker to roll out thinner.
Move the setting on the noodle maker to a higher number (6) and put the dough back through the roller. They will come out long and thin.
Drape these over the back of the chairs again and let dry. Flip over so both sides can dry evenly. Drying time depends on your house, humidity outside, fans going, etc. You just have to guess the first few times and feel for the dryness. You don't want them too wet, or the noodles will stick together and won't dry well after cutting them.
When dough is ready, stack a few together and cut into chunks. The length of the chunks will be the length of the noodles. I usually cut mine about 3 - 4 inches long.
Attach the noodle cutter and put each chunk in to cut into noodles. Set a sheetcake pan under to catch them. I fill up the pan and take them to dry. Then come back and finish off the rest of the dough.- 6 eggs (jumbo size works best)
- 4 Cups flour
Mix 6 eggs with a fork in a mixing bowl. (just to break them up) Then add the 4 cups of flour and mix until dough is stiff.
This is what the dough looks like after mixing. If it seems too dry and the flour won't mix in all the way, you can add a tiny bit of water at a time until it is the right texture. I am not an expert at this point, but the dough has turned out a little different every time I have made it. It always tastes the same in the end. :)
Take the dough out of the mixer and form it into a log. I rub a bit of olive oil on my hands before doing this so it doesn't stick.
Cut the log into equal sized slices. I usually get about 16.
Take each slice and put it through the roller. The first time through should be on a lower setting (2) so the dough comes out thick. Take these to dry for just a few minutes on the back of a chair.
I just use a white sheet that I cut up into pieces and lay these on the chair backs. Flip each one over to dry a bit more and then take them back to the noodle maker to roll out thinner.
Move the setting on the noodle maker to a higher number (6) and put the dough back through the roller. They will come out long and thin.
Drape these over the back of the chairs again and let dry. Flip over so both sides can dry evenly. Drying time depends on your house, humidity outside, fans going, etc. You just have to guess the first few times and feel for the dryness. You don't want them too wet, or the noodles will stick together and won't dry well after cutting them.
When dough is ready, stack a few together and cut into chunks. The length of the chunks will be the length of the noodles. I usually cut mine about 3 - 4 inches long.
This is another white sheet that I lay on the bed to let the noodles dry on. Just sprinkle the noodles around and separate the clumps so they can dry. I have learned to lock my door when they are drying or all your hard work may be almost gone when you go in to see if they are dry. (My kids love them!!! And they love to help make them!!!)
The finished German Buttered Noodles! These are so yummy as a side, with sauce on them, or in soups. They can be used for anything you would use pasta for. Put dry noodles (wet works too, if you want them right away) into boiling water and cook until soft. Just melt some butter and dump it on the cooked noodles. The whole process takes about 1 1/2 hours, depending on drying time. It gets easier the more you make it. And some of these steps might not be absolutely necessary, but that is how I was taught by my mom and grandma. (Kelsey's grandma and great grandma) And sometimes you just do things because that's how you are "supposed" to do them.
This could possibly be the longest blog entry ever, but I wanted to throw in a little history. Kelsey had mentioned using the hand cranking method, which is what we did until just a few years ago. KitchenAid has made our lives much easier and our arms much flabbier! The noodle making attachments to the mixer are wonderful and cut the process time down a bit.
Older
Before the hand cranking method, Kelsey's great great grandma used a noodle cutting board. Her name is Amalie Mai. She would roll the dough out in a circle, roll the circle up (like a fruit roll-up), place it on the board and slice it into tiny, perfect noodles. That would be fun to try sometime, but I'll stick to the KitchenAid for now.
I love making these because they seem so rustic and historic to me. These noodles really are a part of our heritage and I hope I did this recipe justice. Thanks for letting me be a part of the Family TREEts!
