Udon Noodles

Measurement rule: 1 serving = 100 g flour + 50 g salted water (5 g salt + 45 g water). Scale up accordingly.

1. For pink udon: peel and slice the beet 1/2 inch thick. Simmer with 1 cup water about 20 minutes until reduced to about 2 Tbsp juice. Combine 80 g water with 2 tsp beet juice and 2 1/4 tsp salt; stir to dissolve. For white udon: combine 90 g water with 2 1/4 tsp salt and dissolve.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the salted (beet) water little by little, mixing with your hands.
3. Combine into a ball with no dry flour left (add a tiny bit of water if needed). Place in a large durable plastic bag (e.g. 5 gallon Ziploc), leave a small air gap, and rest 20-30 minutes to relax the gluten.
4. With the bag between two kitchen cloths on the floor, step on the dough with your heels, pressing from inward to outward until flat. Fold back into a ball, return to the bag, and repeat the stepping/folding 3 times total, until the dough is as soft as an ear lobe.
5. After the 3rd round, fold into a ball, seal in the bag and rest 2 hours (3 hours or overnight in winter).
6. Dust the surface with starch. Roll the dough into a rectangle, dusting to prevent sticking, then turn and roll into a square about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick.
7. Dust with starch, fold the dough like an accordion, dust again and cut into 3 mm noodles. Fluff and coat the noodles with starch to prevent sticking.
8. To cook immediately, boil a large pot of unsalted water and cook 10-12 minutes, stirring. Drain and rinse well with cold water to remove starch; ready for your favorite udon recipe.
9. To store, portion 100-150 g per person and freeze in airtight bags for up to a month. Cook frozen udon by boiling 12-13 minutes without defrosting.