Place 5 cups of all-purpose flour, and 1/2 cup of potato flakes in a large bowl. Retain 1 cup flour for later use.
Add 1/2 cup of water to the dry ingredients and mix by hand. Continue to add water by the tablespoon until the flour is incorporated - but not sticky. If the dough mixture becomes too sticky - add flour until the dough is dry to the touch.
Lightly flour the working surface. Turn the dough mixture onto the floured working surface and continue to knead the dough until it is smooth.
Cover the dough with a clean towel and let rest for approximately 15 minutes.
Once the dough has rested for approximately 15 minutes, divide the dough into 4 pieces. Re-flour each piece thoroughly. Using a rolling pin, flatten each piece of dough until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter - cut each piece of dough into strips approximately 1/2-inch wide and each strip into "little nuggets" approximately 3/4-inch wide. Using the tip of a dinner fork slightly tilted on an angle, press each "nugget" into the fork tip and roll downward. This will give you a little round piece of dough with ridges. Place the finished gnocchi on a floured pan until the process has been completed with all of the remaining dough.