Shari's Grandma's Egg Noodles from Durum Wheat Berries

My name is Shari, but my friends call me Boots. It’s a sweet nickname from a former patient who couldn’t remember my name—but I could always be found wearing cowboy boots!

I am the creator behind the blog The Flouring Home, where I focus on sourdough and other simple, from-scratch recipes that are nourishing to your body, mind, and soul. I'm almost always in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in my hands and my chocolate lab, Duke, at my feet. I’m so excited for you to join me as we cook and bake from scratch!

Growing up, I remember my grandma making homemade egg noodles. She would use them in chicken noodle soup and pot roast with noodles. and I would think it was so special that she took the time to create food from scratch. I loved watching her make noodles, it was pure intuition and feel for her. She had a rough recipe in her head, but not all eggs are exactly the same so she had to change measurements and fine tune as she went to achieve the dough texture she was looking for. She taught me one summer when I was about 15 and I will never forget her using part of the egg shell as a 'tablespoon measurement', as she never wanted to dirty an extra dish. I never want these stories and recipes to fade away! I want them to live on forever and it's my mission to not just share what I've learned with my family but to give you this gift, too.

While my grandma used traditional, store-bought flour, I am working towards incorporating more fresh milled flour into my kitchen and baking routine. Palouse Brand Durum Wheat is the PERFECT grain for this as it is the traditional wheat used to make pasta.

My main goal in mind with this recipe was to keep the durum's integrity, which means I didn’t sift or remove anything. The milled flour contains the WHOLE part of the kernel: the bran, endosperm, middlings, germ, and germ oil.

Let's break it down really quick and talk about the durum wheat berry. Again, the whole grain is composed of bran, endosperm, middlings, germ, and germ oil. Check out some of the nutritional benefits you're getting when using the whole berry:

• The bran contains Vitamin B, iron, and other trace minerals, as well as soluble and insoluble fiber, protein, and gut-friendly enzymes.
  
• The germ is an antioxidant powerhouse containing minerals, Vitamin B, and phytonutrients.
• The germ oil can become rancid quickly, which is why I use my fresh milled flour right away, but the fatty acids and Vitamin E are exceptional!

If you took all of these parts out via sifting, you’d be left with just “white flour”, which, yes has protein and starch, but it's lacking all those good vitamins and minerals. Tell me why would we want to get rid of all of that goodness?! I certainly don't, and in fact didn't when making these noodles.

Are you ready for the good part? Let's make FRESH MILLED EGG NOODLES! You’re going to need a grain mill, a bag of durum wheat berries, some eggs, a bit of water, a rolling pin, and bench scraper. Note that not all grain mills are crafted equally, and I personally suggest the ones from NutriMill. You also of course are welcome to use a mixer for the dough, but egg noodles can easily be kneaded by hand so don't worry if you don't have one handy. Mixer instructions are in the recipe notes.

Let's get cooking!