Basic Hungarian Egg Noodle Dough (Tojasos Teszta or Metelt)

Uncooked Noodles
© WIN-Initiative / Getty Images
Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Dough must rest and dry: 20 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 5 to 6 servings
Yield: 1/2 pound dough

This basic recipe for Hungarian egg noodle dough or tojasos teszta (toy-YAH-sohss TAYSS-taw) or metelt (MEH-tel-it) is commonly cut into fine, medium and wide noodles, small and large squares, and shells or snails known as csiga made on a special grooved board. See All About Hungarian Noodles for a distinction among the hundreds of varieties.
Usually, only three ingredients are required—flour, eggs and salt. Water is not used because it takes longer for noodles made with it to dry and they're more likely to mold when stored.

Here is a larger image of Hungarian noodles.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Then add 4 large room-temperature eggs and knead until a smooth dough form.

  3. Let dough rest, covered, on a lightly floured surface for about 15 minutes. Roll by hand or using a pasta roller and let dry at least 5 minutes before cutting into the width desired.

  4. Cook fresh noodles in salted water for about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain. If noodles are to be stored, spread them out in a single layer on a flat surface and allow to dry completely. This can take up to two days. Once dry, store in an airtight container.

Hungarians Love Noodles

There are literally hundreds of Hungarian noodle shapes, and each one is purportedly for a special purpose, not unlike what you will find with Italian pasta.

Noodles show up in appetizers, soups, salads, entrées, side dishes, desserts and breakfast. In other words, they appear in every course imaginable. Here are some popular Hungarian noodle recipes and recipes that use Hungarian noodles as one of the ingredients:

The Dying Art of Hungarian Noodle Making

Making noodles from scratch is a dying art, but one a group of dedicated members of Holy Trinity Hungarian Church in East Chicago, Ind., still practices. Holy Trinity is the last remaining Hungarian Catholic church in the state of Indiana.

The group makes seven different noodles as a fundraiser every week year-round, except for a brief hiatus in the summer. See how Hungarian noodles are made.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
199 Calories
4g Fat
32g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 199
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 124mg 41%
Sodium 401mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 3mg 14%
Potassium 91mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)