Noodles for Soup

Three ingredients. Two eggs, salt, and enough flour to form a smooth dough. These are the kind of homemade noodles your grandmother dropped into chicken soup and they’re still the best thing you can put in a bowl of broth.

Kneading the dough well develops the gluten, which gives the noodles their chewy bite. The 30-minute rest after kneading lets the gluten relax so the dough rolls out easily without springing back. Skip the rest and you’ll fight the dough the whole time.

Rolling thin and letting the sheet dry slightly on a cloth before cutting is the key to noodles that hold their shape in hot soup. Too wet and they stick together. Too dry and they crack when cut. You want the surface barely tacky before you slice into narrow strips.

Kitchen Tips

• Work the flour in gradually. You want a firm but pliable dough, not a stiff brick. About one cup of flour for two eggs is the starting point.
• Roll as thin as you can. Thick noodles turn gummy in soup.
• Dust the strips lightly with flour after cutting so they don’t stick together while you work.
• Drop directly into simmering broth and cook for 5 to 8 minutes depending on thickness.

Variations

• Add a pinch of turmeric to the dough for golden-yellow noodles.
• Cut into wider strips for a rustic, pappardelle-style soup noodle.
• Dry the cut noodles completely on a rack and store for up to a week.