Farfel is an old school German pasta that became a popular Jewish side dish in all the Jewish delis. It’s actually the precursor to the Israeli Couscous, called Ptititm. But the original farfel was had made and not perfectly round so I ventured to recreate this based on my mom’s memory of a dish she grew up with. Read more about the history of farfel here.
Once you make the farfel you can simply boil it like pasta, but if you want to experience it the way our great Bubbes made it use it to make Farfel with Mushrooms.
Ingredients
Servings 2.5
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon and ½ teaspoon water
Nutritional Facts
Nutrition Facts
Farfel, Egg Barley From Scratch
Amount per Serving
Calories
533
% Daily Value*
Fat
12
g
18
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
196
mg
65
%
Sodium
2868
mg
125
%
Potassium
194
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
86
g
29
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
18
g
36
%
Vitamin A
285
IU
6
%
Calcium
48
mg
5
%
Iron
6
mg
33
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Instructions
- Place a mound out of flour on a clean surface or in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center of the pile. Lightly beat together the egg, salt, oil, and water in a separate bowl. Pour this mixture into the flour well and work the mixture with a fork or your hands, folding the flour over the egg mixture until a dough comes together and can be rolled into a ball.
- Knead dough well. The mixture will feel a bit dry but as you continue to knead it it will hydrate. If needed you can set aside for 10 minutes then continue to knead until smooth and elastic. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 2 balls and set aside, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grate the balls of dough on the coarse side of a box grater onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Ensure the pieces are all spread out on the pan place in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes total, checking every 5 to 10 minutes, stirring the farfel and breaking apart any large chunks. It is ready when most of the pieces are golden brown and very dry. If it is not evenly toasted that's completely fine. The uneven toast allows the farfel to have different flavors.
Video
Use prepared farfel in our recipe for farfel and mushrooms.
