Why do hand-rolled noodles break easily? What should I do if hand-rolled noodles break easily?

We all know that there are many ways to make noodles, and hand-rolled noodles are a very popular type of noodles. They are chewy and taste good, and are loved by people. Many people make hand-rolled noodles at home. Some people find that hand-rolled noodles break easily, so why do hand-rolled noodles break easily? Let's take a closer look!

Why do hand-rolled noodles break?

There may be several reasons why hand-rolled noodles break:

The problem with flour itself

The flour used to make noodles must be medium or high gluten flour. Only when flour with a certain gluten content is used can the food made be chewy. Especially for noodles that have to be boiled at high temperatures, they must have "hardened" "heat-resistant" properties. Even hand-rolled noodles are kneaded to be smooth and elastic. When choosing flour, medium or high gluten flour must be used (you can also use flour produced and ground by farmers themselves) so that the noodles will not break easily and will be chewy. If ordinary or low-gluten flour, or even damp flour, is used for hand-rolled noodles, the noodles will break easily.

Negligence in the dough-making process

First, when kneading hand-rolled noodles, use warm water, stir the flour while pouring the water, and gradually stir it into flocs. Then, determine whether to add water based on the softness of the noodles. Do not add "enough" water at once and then stir the flour, as this will cause the noodles and water to separate, resulting in "water damage". If you use boiling water to knead the noodles, the dough will be very sticky. Flour will inevitably be mixed in, and the dry flour and dough will "separate" again. If the dough is not kneaded properly, it will leave a hidden danger for the noodles to break easily.

Secondly, no salt or soda ash was added when kneading the dough. Hand-rolled noodles should be made harder. When kneading the dough, salt or edible alkali should be added appropriately. If one of them is missing, the noodles will not be chewy and will break easily.

Not kneading the dough hard enough

The dough should be kneaded several times on the panel, that is, gather the dough with your fingers and knead it with your palms, repeatedly in clockwise or counterclockwise direction, to make the dough smooth and elastic. If you knead the dough too hastily, the noodles will break easily.

Committed the taboo of "mixing and rolling at the same time"

If you pay attention, there is an important step for farmers to make hand-rolled noodles, which is to turn the dough upside down in a basin for about 10 minutes after kneading it. The locals call this process "returning the dough." It is similar to letting the dough rest. Its purpose is to allow the flour to fully absorb water. If you roll the noodles as soon as the dough is kneaded, the noodles will break easily.

The “human” factor in cooking noodles

After the hand-rolled noodles are ready, there are some tips for cooking noodles: First, put more water in the pot to cook the noodles. You can't put the noodles in the pot with "only the noodles but no water", otherwise the noodles will stick together before they are cooked; put the noodles in the pot after the water is boiled. If the water is not boiled before putting the noodles in the pot, when the water boils, the noodles will also be cooked into a paste; third, stir the noodles. After the noodles are put into the boiling water pot, the water boils again. When the noodles roll, use chopsticks to stir the noodles to loosen them up, and don't let the noodles stick together. Pour a little cold water to make the noodles, which have already started to gelatinize, "tighten" to prevent the noodles from breaking and sticking. If the above three points are not done well, they are all "human factors" and it is very easy for the noodles to break.

What to do if hand-rolled noodles break easily

There are several reasons why hand-rolled noodles break: the flour used is not strong enough, too much water is added when kneading the dough, the noodles are not rolled until smooth, the noodles are cooked for too long, or there is too little water, etc.

Improved method: Choose flour with high protein content. When kneading the dough, the amount of water should be 40% of the weight of the flour. Roll the dough out until it is smooth before proceeding to the next step. When cooking the noodles, use more water. Boil it and then pour in cold water, repeat this process 3 times. Do not cook it for too long.

Reference recipe and method of hand-rolled noodles

High-gluten flour 100%, water 40%, salt 2%

This is the percentage of flour weight. Water is 40% of the weight of flour, and salt is 2% of the weight of flour. This way, no matter how much flour you use, it is easy to convert the amount of water and salt.

Mix all the ingredients evenly, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes, then start rolling the dough. After the dough is smooth, roll it into large sheets of appropriate thickness and then cut it.