Recipes Daily Essentials, Dairy Free, Farm Flour, Salt & Seasoning, Sourdough, Summer, Vegetarian

Sourdough Herb Noodles

Prep time: 2 hrs 25 mins
Cook time
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
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For years now, we have been making sourdough herb noodles to serve with beef stroganoff and homemade lasagna. What began as another way to use excess sourdough starter became a family preference, as the sourdough adds deep flavor and tender yet springy texture to the pasta. Layering the dough with fresh herbs is optional, but highly recommended. Held to the light, each sheet of pasta looks like a piece of stained glass. The recipe, which has become somewhat famous, can also be found on New York Times.

Sourdough Herb Noodles

Prep: 2 hrs 25 minsYield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup (208 grams) sourdough starter
3 cups (348 grams) 00 flour, plus more as needed
4 large eggs
¼ teaspoon Fine French Salt
1 ½ cups basil leaves, dill fronds, small parsley sprigs with tender stems, or a combination, loosely packed
Semolina flour, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

To a large bowl, add the sourdough starter, followed by the flour. Use a fork to create a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs.
Use the fork to beat the eggs in the center of the well, then gradually combine the beaten eggs with the flour and starter.
When shaggy clumps begin to form, swap the fork for hands and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, elastic dough comes together. If the dough sticks to your hands, add more flour in small increments.
Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight.
Quarter the dough disk, then rewrap three of the pieces and set them aside. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough as thinly as possible. The dough should be nearly transparent (but still opaque) and measure approximately 10 x 5 inches (25 x 13 cm). Be cautious not to roll the dough too thin, as it will tear after adding the herbs. Set the sheet aside on a lined sheet pan or other clean surface, dusted with flour or semolina flour. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Alternatively, run each sheet through a pasta machine, stopping one to two notches before the thinnest setting.
Lay out one of the dough sheets so the long sides are perpendicular to you. Arrange the herbs on half the sheet (the left side), placing the sprigs or leaves alongside one another, almost touching. Fold the right half of the dough over the herbs so the short edges of the sheet meet.
Use the rolling pin, pasta machine or attachment to flatten the dough one more time, seal in the herbs and make a single sheet. Cut the sheet into the desired shape of pasta. Set the cut pasta aside on a lined sheet pan or other clean surface, again dusted with flour or semolina flour if needed to prevent sticking. It’s okay to mound them up a bit, just be gentle. Repeat with the remaining dough sheets.
Working in batches if necessary to keep the water at a rolling boil, cook the noodles until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and use as desired, such as in beef stroganoff.

Notes

If not using the pasta immediately, cover and refrigerate in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet for up to one night. To freeze, divide the pasta into approximately 3-ounce nests on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until rock hard, then transfer to a freezer bag. To cook, drop frozen pasta into salted boiling water and cook for 4 to 7 minutes.

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