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Handmade Udon Noodles Recipe

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This Handmade Udon recipe guides you through making fresh, chewy udon noodles from scratch using simple ingredients. The process involves creating a brine, mixing and kneading the dough thoroughly for elasticity, resting, rolling out the dough thinly with careful folding and cutting, and finally boiling to achieve soft, translucent noodles perfect for various Japanese dishes.

Ingredients

Udon Dough

  • 400 grams all-purpose flour
  • 180 grams water
  • 17 grams salt
  • Potato starch (for dusting)

Instructions

  1. Make the brine: Dissolve the 17 grams of salt in the 180 grams of water to create a salty brine solution for the dough.
  2. Mix the dough: Gradually add the brine to the 400 grams of all-purpose flour in 3-4 additions, vigorously mixing with your hands after each addition to hydrate the flour evenly.
  3. Knead the dough: Form the dough into a ball and transfer onto a clean work surface, and knead it 150-200 times by hand until it becomes extremely elastic and resilient to the touch.
  4. Rest the dough: Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place it in a covered bowl, and let it rest undisturbed for 1.5 to 2 hours to relax the gluten.
  5. Prepare for rolling: Dust the rested dough ball with potato starch and press it into a thick disk using your hands.
  6. Initial rolling: Using a rolling pin, press the dough from the center outward away from you in steps, then repeat rolling from the edge towards you, turning the dough 90 degrees and repeating this pressing step.
  7. Roll thin: Roll the dough from the center outward and inward a few times, turning it 90 degrees and repeating to create an even thickness.
  8. Adjust thickness: Dust the dough with starch, wrap it around the rolling pin starting from the closest corner, and roll until the dough sheet is about 1/8 inch thick.
  9. Even the dough: Unroll, turn the dough 45 degrees, dust with more starch, wrap around the rolling pin again starting from the straight edge, and roll a few times to even out thickness.
  10. Fold dough: Unroll and generously dust the surface with starch, then fold the dough like a fan with staggered folds to prevent overlapping.
  11. Cut noodles: Using a sharp knife and a single stroke, cut the folded dough into strips to form noodles.
  12. Separate noodles: Gently separate the noodle strands and dust with additional starch to prevent sticking.
  13. Boil noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
  14. Cook noodles: Dust off excess starch, add the noodles to boiling water, stirring continuously for the first 30 seconds to prevent sticking.
  15. Finish cooking: Boil noodles until translucent—approximately 12 to 13 minutes for 1/8-inch thickness—then drain and rinse with cold water to remove excess starch. Serve according to preference.

Notes

  • Kneading the dough thoroughly is key to achieving the signature chewy texture of udon noodles.
  • Resting time allows the dough to relax which makes rolling and stretching easier.
  • Using potato starch helps prevent the dough and noodles from sticking together.
  • Be gentle when separating the noodles to avoid breakage.
  • Rinsing the noodles with cold water after boiling stops the cooking process and removes excess starch for a better texture.

Find it online: https://recipeplenty.com/handmade-udon-noodles-recipe/