Making homemade buckwheat noodles (gluten free)

I’ve had this noodle recipe in my file for months, waiting to make it, and I finally got around to it this week!  Flours and grains need to be soaked to neutralize the phytic acid, but when you buy whole grain pasta at the store, it generally hasn’t been soaked or sprouted.  That means that even though you think you’re buying something really good for you, your body isn’t able to absorb most of the additional nutrients. So the health benefit isn’t very substantial.

Until now, my solution has been to cut our consumption of store bought whole grain pasta so that having it is a rare occasion; I treat it as a semi-junk food.  However, by making it myself I can soak the flour so that the phytic acid issue is no longer a concern.  So these noodles really are good for you!

Homemade Buckwheat Noodles (gluten free)

  • 2 c. buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 – 2/3 c. water
  • 1/2 T. raw apple cider vinegar (we use Bragg’s)

Mix the water and apple cider vinegar together, and then stir together with the flour.  It’s going to seem like you don’t have enough water when you add a 1/2 cup; add some more a little bit at a time since you don’t want it to become too sticky to work with.  You’ll need to work it with your hands for a few minutes until the moisture is all worked through the flour.  Let this sit overnight (this step is the one that reduces the phytic acid, so don’t skip it.)

When you’re ready to roll it out, sprinkle some kind of flour (gluten free, if that’s a concern for you) on the work surface, then a little on top of the dough.  Roll out the dough to be about 1/8″ thick.  Using a sharp knife, cut the noodles into thin slices (you can be creative with shapes if you like).  Then add them to a pot of salted boiling water and let cook for several minutes.  How long you cook them will depend on the thickness of the dough and the size of your noodles.  You’ll know they’re done when they are tender but still a little chewy.

You can substitute wheat flour if you want to make regular noodles.  Experiment with different kinds of flour, using this same basic recipe, and see what kind of combinations you can come up with!  Be sure to soak it overnight, though.  It would be a shame to spend the time making these and not end up with the good nutrition that your time warrants.  I’m planning to try dehydrating some next time we make them so I can make these in advance and then store them like store bought pasta.

I made four times this amount for our family for dinner, so I used about two pounds of buckwheat flour.  Generally I buy buckwheat and grind it myself but I got some buckwheat flour at a super cheap price, less than buying it whole (I paid .99 for the 2 lb. box; generally I pay about 1.60 lb).   This made a very abundant amount of noodles for dinner tonight, that we served together with a meat sauce (slight change in menu), carrot fries, lacto fermented green beans and ginger carrots.

Avivah

7 thoughts on “Making homemade buckwheat noodles (gluten free)

  1. I have been search for this type of recipe, Thanks for posting it.

    Have you ever attempted it with brown rice flour?
    D

    1. Hi, Dianne, welcome! No, I haven’t tried it with brown rice flour, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work equally well. If you do try it out with brown rice flour, please let me know how it turns out!

      1. What I’d like to know is how this all manages to hold together without falling into a pill of crumbs without any gluten flour or eggs to bind it?

        What makes this recipe different so that it doesn’t fall apart?

        1. Adding wheat flour would definitely make it stronger (but obviously not gluten free :)) but the dough holds together pretty well. Mix the liquid in – it will be crumbly – then knead it until it forms a firm ball. Let it sit overnight, up to 24 hours at room temperature. If it’s too dry, add a little water but you should be able to roll these out without them falling apart. I hope it works for you!

  2. Perfect recipe. going to try it. So there is no problem to dry these pasta? Some gluten free pasta brake very easily. Which gluten-free flours you tried it with?

    Sonia

    1. Hi, Andrew! No, I didn’t deyhydrate them but my past experience with dehydrating food, they have a very long shelf life.

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