Homemade Soba
A recipe for Homemade Soba from The Art and Craft of Japanese Cooking! These versatile buckwheat-based noodles have a nutty aroma perfect for pairing with soups, salads, and broths.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (200 grams) Japanese buckwheat flour sobako
- 1/3 cup (50 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) uchiko flour or potato starch, for dusting
Instructions
- Combine the sobako and all-purpose flour together in a large bowl using your fingers.
- Measure 47% water into a cup with a spout: for 9 ounces (250 grams) combined weight of flour, that means about 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water.
- Sprinkle generous 1/3 cup (100 milliliters) of the water over the flours in the bowl, and scissor your fingers through the flour until the water has been absorbed and the mixture is crumbly.
- Press the dough together with both hands to form a rough ball and transfer it to a large, flat work surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until smooth and pliable. This will take some elbow grease because the dough will be stiff, but don't flag or lose heart. Depending on the weather and the flours, the dough might want a bit more moisture. If the dough feels dry or continues to have cracks, dip your fingertips in the remaining water and rub it around the dough. Continue kneading and adding water if needed, until the dough achieves the desired consistency.
- Form the dough into a 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) thick disc and sprinkle with a small amount of uchiko flour.
- Using a long, thin rolling pin or dowel, roll the dough back and forth from the center into a 1/16 inch (1.5 millimeter) thick rectangle. Dust the dough and work surface generously with the uchiko flour and flip the dough to make sure it is covered in flour.
- Fold the dough in half lengthwise, then in half again to form a long, thin, folded log.
- With a fine, sharp knife, cut into thin noodles 1/16 inch (1.5 millimeters) wide.
- Dust the noodles with more of the uchiko, unraveling the coiled clumps into long strands, and making sure some of the flour gets between the strands to prevent them from sticking together.
- If you are not cooking right away, gently gather handfuls of noodles and align straight in a wooden or plastic container. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Bring a large pot three-quarters full of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Prepare a large bowl of cold water in the sink, and a medium bowl of ice water.
- Gather the soba noodles up gently in two hands and drop into the boiling water.
- As soon as the water returns to a boil, cook the noodles for 60-90 seconds, depending on thickness.
- Scoop out the noodles with a wire-mesh strainer, plunge into the bowl of cold water, and run more cold water into the bowl for several minutes to rinse and remove starch.
- Scoop the soba out of the water and dip in and out of the bowl of ice water to shock.
- Shake off and serve on noodle baskets.