ABSTRACTAsian noodles were prepared by an objective laboratory method that included adding optimum water to the dry ingredients, mixing the ingredients to homogeneous salt distribution, and sheeting of the dough under low shear stress. The lightness (L*) values of alkaline‐ and salt‐noodle doughs made from 65% extraction hard white wheat flours (except KS96HW115 flour at ≈70% extraction) were higher than those from 60% extraction hard red wheat flours (except Karl 92 flour at ≈70% extraction). A hard white spring wheat, ID377s, and a Kansas line of hard white winter wheat, KS96HW115, to be released in 2000, gave the highest L* values for dough sheets stored for 2 and 24 hr at 25°C. Cooking losses were 5–9 percentage points higher for alkaline noodles than salt noodles, but the cooking yields of the two types of Asian noodles were almost the same. Cooked alkaline noodles made from a high‐swelling flour (SP93≈21 g/g) gave higher tensile strength than those made from several low‐swelling flours (SP93 ≈15 g/g) with the same protein contents (≈12.5%). However, the cooked salt noodles gave the same tensile strength.