Wild Mushroom Noodle Soup

Submerge porcini mushrooms in 3 quarts cold water in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours or chill overnight. Pour mushrooms and liquid into a fine-mesh sieve set over a wide heavy pot, gently pressing mushrooms to extract as much liquid as possible. Reserve mushrooms for another use. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns to pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until broth is reduced to 6 cups, about 1 hour. Strain broth through fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Return broth to pot.