Photos: Step-by-step: Making soba noodles

Put the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour and water in a gallon-size plastic bag and mix thoroughly, squeezing the bag, until the dough comes together. If dough is sticking to the sides of the bag, you can press and rub the dough against the sides to pick up any of the sticky dough.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Firmly knead the dough until the surface is soft, smooth and without cracks; this will take about 5 minutes, depending on the amount of pressure applied. If the dough feels dry, lightly wet the tips of your fingers with cold water and brush them against the surface of the dough as you knead. Flatten the dough into a disk about half an inch thick and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Sprinkle your work surface with corn starch, and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough, first into an oval and then a rectangle about 20 by 12 inches and one-sixteenth-inch thick.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Sprinkle more cornstarch on your work surface as needed. Also sprinkle the dough with cornstarch (to prevent sticking while you’re cutting the noodles) and fold it in half.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Fold the dough in half again, so that it is folded in quarters before you cut the noodles.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Use a sharp 8-inch chef’s knife or Japanese vegetable knife, pictured, to cut the soba noodles into about one-eighteenth-inch slices. Use a straight edge such as a ruler to guide you.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)