Ramen Noodles

2 cups bread flour, or 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons kansui (or subsitute baking soda water*)

Cornstarch, for dusting

Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Stir together the water and kansui in a small bowl, then pour into the flour and stir until combined.  The mixture will be crumbly.  Gather the crumbles into a bowl and knead for a few moments. Return dough to the mixing bowl, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes, until the flour has absorbed all of the liquid and you have a cohesive, slightly shaggy-looking ball.  You can add additional water by the teaspoon if the dough is too crumbly, but this should be a dense and fairly dry dough.

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic, and let rest for 30 minutes.  

Divide the dough into quarters.  Work with one quarter at a time and keep the remaining dough covered with plastic to prevent drying.  Flatten the dough into a rectangle, dust with cornstarch, and roll through a pasta machine on its widest setting.  Fold the sheet in half, flatten it out, and repeat.  Do this once more.  Reduce the thickness setting by one notch and pass the dough through the machine.  Repeat this process once, then reduce the setting again, pass the dough through, and repeat, dusting the sheets lightly with cornstarch if they start to get stuck.  You'll want sheets slightly less than 1/16 inch thick, which is typically the number 3 setting on a pasta machine, and about 12 inches long.  Dust sheets lightly with cornstarch, fold them up without creasing them, and keep covered with plastic to prevent drying out as you repeat with the remaining 3 quarters of dough.

Pass a pasta sheet through the pasta machine's spaghetti or linguini setting.  Toss the noodles with cornstarch, then curl the strands loosely around your hand to make a nest.  Cover with plastic and proceed with the remaining sheets.

If not using immediately, store the noodles in resealable bags in the refrigerator or freezer.  They will keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, and about 2 months in the freezer.

To cook the noodles, bring a pot of water to a rapid boil.  Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, or until just tender.  If possible, remove from water using a strainer basket or pasta insert, reserving cooking water.  Rinse under cold running water to remove excess starch.  Dip back into reserved cooking water to re-warm, then divide among bowls and serve.

*Kansui substitute: Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 4 teaspoons water.

Makes 4 servings.

From Bowl by Lukas Volger, with minor changes