Delicious Homemade 4-ingredient Gluten Free Buckwheat Noodles

 This one is for my gluten free sister, auntie Em.  I know it is cold where she is and sometimes I think of my darling sister and wonder what she's eating for dinner. I'm a dork. I think of things like that, especially when I see storms all over the country that are knocking out electricity. I think if I could, I'd bring those dear people a pot of chicken soup...with homemade noodles.

When I was growing up it wasn't really good homemade chicken soup unless there were homemade noodles floating in the broth. There might not have even been chicken. I just wanted those noodle that Grandma Barbara would roll out by hand and put into that bubbling broth of happiness. As we're coming into that time of year then, I wanted to post this simple recipe for homemade buckwheat gluten free noodles. This recipe will work for tossing into a hot pot of soup right at the end and serving up warm. The noodles cook in 3-4 minutes and come together in less than 10 minutes. I think you'll be happily surprised.
Buckwheat. Let's talk.  Whole grain buckwheat can cook on the stove top 1:3 low simmer 32 minutes (pressure cook 4 minutes). Even though the word "wheat" is in the name of this remarkable stuff, don't let the name fool you...Buckwheat is actually not related to wheat at all and is 100% gluten free. A century ago Russia was by far the world leader in buckwheat. Kasha or buckwheat groat is a well known use of buckwheat for pilaf. With a strong flavor, rich in iron and a high concentration of all of the amino acids. Buckwheat is amazing in Gluten Free Buckwheat pancakes  and great for a nice dense bread. It can be strong in flavor so get the hulled varieties. For breads and rolls, use up to 1 cup per recipe to impart a taste and texture that comes close to whole wheat. Use less when baking delicate cookies or pies. (¼ cup contains 6 grams fiber and 5 grams protein.)

Buckwheat noodles are very popular in oriental dishes. I love them with a spicy peanut sauce and a light drizzle of sesame oil. However, the dry packaged buckwheat noodles, though tasty, are not really thick and yummy enough to use for home style chicken noodle soup. They just aren't the same as grandma's beautiful noodles. However, I've found a solution for that. I make my own. Mind you, they cook in 3-4 minutes. Fresh noodles always cook quickly. These don't get as smooshy as other buckwheat noodles I've had in the past. Gluten-free noodles in general tend to cook rather quickly.  These buckwheat noodles have the addition of egg and xanthan gum (all natural), which will aid in the texture. Keep that in mind.  If you don't have the egg powder, you can replace the egg powder with 1 egg. You'll need to add an additional 2T of water if you do that.

My Homemade Buckwheat gluten-free noodles
Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 T powdered whole egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Directions: Combine the dry ingredients.  Add 1/3 cup water to the dry ingredients and work into a thick dough, adding a few tsp of extra water to the dough if it seems too dry. Knead about 2 minutes.

 

Flatten out the dough between two pieces of wax paper (about 2 feet long), rolling with a rolling pin for even noodles.

 Remove the top layer of wax paper. Cut the noodles into desired thickness. I like mine about 1/4 inch by 3 inches.

 To cook the noodles, bring one gallon of water to a boil (or 1 gallon of chicken soup).   Make sure it is a rolling, double-chin kind of boil. This makes all the difference in the world! Slide your fresh noodles into the water. I use a small metal spatula to get them off the paper.

 Cook 3-4 minutes and drain well.

 Cover with peanut sauce and sesame seeds if you like.

 Personally, I prefer them with chicken soup.

 

 

There you go! Make some homemade gluten-free noodles!

 

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess