How To Make Easy Homemade Ramen Noodles From Scratch

Instructions

1. 01

   Make the alkaline water. In a large measuring cup, add 1 cup of water, salt, and the baked baking soda and stir well to dissolve.

2. 02

   Make the ramen dough. Add the sifted flour to a large mixing bowl, add about 3/4 of the alkaline water, and stir in a circular motion with your hands to combine, adding more water slowly until the dough comes together and you can form a shaggy dough ball (*see photos in main post for what it should look like at this stage). Once the dough ball is formed, try your best to knead it for 2 or 3 minutes by hand (or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook for 1 minute only).

3. 03

   Rest the dough (1st time). Place the dough in a sealed bag, remove any air from it, and refrigerate the dough overnight.

4. 04

   Roll out the dough. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 4 equal pieces. FYI, the dough will be much softer and pliable at this point after resting overnight. Working with one piece at a time, press the dough down with your hands to create a rectangle, and then use a rolling pin to get it just thin enough to fit into a pasta machine on the widest setting. Dust the dough with bread flour and run it through the pasta machine. Fold it in half and run it through the pasta machine again. Next, fold it like a business letter (into thirds) and run it back through the pasta machine again. Do this two more times repeating the "business letter folds" and running through the pasta machine until you have a smooth and much softer rectangular dough sheet.

5. 05

   Rest the dough (2nd time). Place the dough in a sealed bag, remove any air, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

6. 06

   Roll out the dough sheets. Working with one dough sheet at a time, dust it with flour so it doesn't stick and run it through the pasta machine starting on the widest setting. Then roll into progressively thinner sheets until you reach the desired thickness (for me, this is setting #3 on a Marcato Pasta machine).

7. 07

   Cut the noodles. Attach the thinnest pasta cutter attachment to the pasta machine (the same one used for making cappellini or spaghetti), dust the dough sheet with flour so it doesn't stick to the machine, and run the sheet through to cut it into ramen. Dust noodles well with cornstarch to keep them from sticking together and create a nest. If you want curly ramen noodles, crinkle them with your hands by gently tossing them before letting them rest in a shaggy pile.

8. 08

   Rest the noodles. Rest the noodles in a sealed bag overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor, or at least 1 hour before using them. Alternatively, you may place the noodles into a sealed bag and freeze them for up to 6 months or even longer if stored well.

9. 09

   Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil over high heat, add the noodles, and cook stirring with chopsticks or a spoon to prevent them from sticking together, for 1 to 3 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodles. Strain them and use them as the recipe directs. Enjoy!