Noodles

Background

Noodles can be broadly categorized into three production styles based on dough and forming technique:

1. Shaped and Sheeted Noodles Made from relatively low-hydration doughs (often around 30–50% hydration depending on grain type and flour ash content), which are rolled, laminated, and cut or formed into shape.

   • Wheat: The standard baseline due to glutenin and gliadin forming an extensible, elastic gluten network via kneading or autolysis.
   • Rye: Contains gluten-related storage proteins (secalins), but unlike wheat it does not readily produce a continuous, elastic gluten network. Much of rye dough’s cohesion and viscosity instead comes from highly water-binding arabinoxylans and other pentosans.
   • Buckwheat: Completely gluten-free. Cohesion relies on structural amylopectin content and water-soluble mucilage with hydrocolloid properties. Cooked buckwheat combines nutty pyrazines with smoky, green, and faintly fishy notes.¹ 100% buckwheat doughs (Juwari Soba) are brittle and fragile; salt is often omitted because it interferes with mucilage hydration.
   • Hydrocolloid and Starch Modification: Brittle doughs can be stabilized by introducing external hydrocolloids (e.g., elm bark polysaccharides, Irish sea moss) or through partial starch gelatinization (scalding a portion of the flour with hot water). Alkalization similarly enhances water uptake and swelling of starch granules, increasing firmness and bite.
   • Egg Additions: Fat and protein from whole eggs disrupt gluten networks to tenderize the dough, while coagulated egg proteins provide springiness.

2. Extruded Noodles Formed by forcing dough through a die under pressure.

   • High-pressure extrusion of wheat or semolina doughs preserves a developed protein-starch matrix.
   • Extrusion of gluten-free starch doughs relies on a gelatinized starch binder, often extruding directly into boiling water to set the structure immediately.

3. Batter-Based Noodles Formed from high-hydration, pourable batters. Common examples include refined starch slurries (such as Liangpi or rice noodles) and whole-grain batters dropped or scraped into water (such as Spätzle).

Notes and Observations

Test 1: No Salt (Hydration ~50%)

• 80:20 Buckwheat : Wheat
  • Result: Good flavor, slightly brittle.
  • Notes: Performs better in wider/thicker noodle shapes where bite is preserved. Needs a higher wheat percentage or structural binder for finer cuts.
• 80:20 Rye : Wheat
  • Result: Held shape well in a thicker cut without noticeable brittleness.
  • Notes: Flavor was surprisingly neutral.
• 50:50 Corn : Wheat
  • Result: Texture decent but soft; corn flavor felt muted.
  • Notes: Toasting the cornmeal prior to hydration could improve aroma and compensate for the lower structural contribution.
• 100% Wheat
  • Result: Overly soft.
  • Notes: Standard all-purpose or unsifted whole wheat flours have bran fibers that shear gluten strands. High-protein, finely bolted flour is necessary for low-hydration sheeting.

Test 2: 1% Salt Added

• 70:30 Buckwheat : Wheat (50% Hydration)
  • Result: Cut to a thin soba gauge; texture was too soft and delicate for hot broth.
  • Notes: Better suited to cold applications with a cold-water rinse. Future trials require hot-water scalding or alkalization to improve chew.
• 75:25 Rye : Wheat
  • Result: Acceptable structure, slightly soft bite.
• 75:25 Rye : Wheat (Scalded Porridge Method)
  • Process: Pre-gelatinized 1/3 of the rye flour as a hot porridge before mixing.
  • Result: Overly soft and gummy texture.
• 75:25 Rye : Wheat (Alkalized with 1.5% Baking Soda)
  • Result: Shifted to a vivid yellow hue. Texture improved significantly—much firmer, springier, and bouncier, resembling an alkaline ramen noodle.
  • Notes: Flavor was distinctively alkaline; 1.5% baking soda was slightly aggressive. Scale back to 1.0% in future batches.

Flour Notes: Brooklyn Granary Glenn Pasta Flour

• Absorbs less water than standard whole wheat flour.
• Optimal hydration sits around 38–40%.
• Yields a dark finished noodle with a clean, mild whole-wheat flavor.

Next Trials

• Wheat Baseline: Low-hydration trials (38–40%) with Glenn pasta flour, testing both standard and alkalized doughs.
• Layered Sheeted Noodle: Laminated dual-dough noodle (50% buckwheat dough layered onto 50% wheat dough), inspired by Chinese layered Sorghum and wheat noodles documented by Christopher St. Cavish.
• Liquid Substitutions: Test soymilk in place of water to evaluate fat and protein contributions across:
  • 2:1 Wheat dough (standard and alkalized).
  • 70:30 Buckwheat dough.
  • 75:25 Rye dough.

Sources