Soba Noodles
My brother-in-law and I have a long-standing ritual whenever I visit my family in Japan: he welcomes me home with a plate of his own freshly made soba noodles. I can’t think of a more gracious—and delicious—greeting. I love the bright buckwheat flavor and irresistible nutty, sweet aroma of fresh soba, a sensation you simply can’t fully experience with dry noodles or fresh-frozen. This recipe is a bit challenging, true, but worth it. A few notes: First, professional soba makers use a “soba kiri” to cut the noodles, an expensive, specialized blade 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. But at home, a large kitchen knife works perfectly. Second, cooks in Japan traditionally use a lightweight wooden box as a guide for cutting soba, but anything lightweight with a straight edge will work fine, even a plastic ice cube tray. And finally, but most important: cut noodles should be cooked and served immediately. You can freeze any unrolled dough, well wrapped, for up to a month, or store fresh dough in the refrigerator for a few days.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 1/2 pounds (serves 4)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Sift both flours through a sifter or fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the water and mix well by hand. Slowly add more water and continue mixing until the dough begins to form (it will begin to stick together). The 1 cup of water is just a guide—you may not need to use all of it, or you may need to add more depending on the level of humidity. You want the dough to be smooth and firm, not wet and soft like pizza dough.
Step 2
Knead the dough by folding the bottom part over the top and pressing down with your entire body weight. Rotate a quarter turn and continue kneading, working the dough until it becomes smooth and shiny, 5 to 6 minutes total.
Step 3
How do you know when you’ve kneaded enough? Test the dough by gently stretching a golf ball–size piece between your hands until the dough extends 2 inches before breaking. When you’re finished kneading, form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Step 4
Once rested, divide the dough into four pieces. Wrap three of the pieces in plastic until you’re ready to use them so they won’t become dry. Lightly dust your counter with buckwheat flour and set one piece of dough on it. Press down on the dough with your hands until you form a square, then with a rolling pin, roll it into a thin rectangle at least 18 inches long and 1/16 inch thick. Be sure to rotate and flip the dough every few rolls, dusting it with a little flour each time.
Step 5
Lightly fold to layer the dough into thirds. Gently place a wooden box or straight edge on the dough to use as a guide when cutting the noodles. With a flat knife, cut the layered dough into 1/8-inch-thick strips. Gently shake out the noodles and place them loosely on a plate until ready to use. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Step 6
To cook the noodles, place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Submerge a metal strainer in the water and add the noodles. Cook for 1 minute or until al dente (tender and cooked through but not mushy). Drain and rinse under cold running water. Serve with Hot or Cold Soba Broth.
