Seitan is a power house of protein for vegans. By volume it’s 75% protein and with a few ingredients it is a complete protein that also contains your necessary B vitamins.
Seitan is made in a variety of ways from baked to boiled and can be used for sandwiches, pizza toppings, or just as a protein rich snack. Simply, it’s composed of wheat gluten, which is the protein in wheat, and often includes chickpea flour, soy flour, and/or nutritional yeast. You can flavor it however you’d like because wheat gluten comes in powder form and has no flavor of it’s own.
This recipe is simplistic and mild in flavor which allows you to get creative once you’re ready to use it. You can shred it and douse with BBQ sauce, cook with liquid smoke and paprika for a bacon flavor, or toss with Greek spices for a gyro. If you make this recipe as is you’ll have a bread loaf sized amount which is good for many servings, and it stores well in the fridge or freezes for longer storage. Slice it into thick blocks for a hearty “steak” dinner or cut thin for a messy sandwich. You can also use a mandolin slicer to make getting even strips easy.
Seitan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbl paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 3/4 cup veggie broth
- 1 Tbl soy sauce
- 2 Tbl tomato paste
- Additional broth for cooking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. The mixture will be tough and you can use a heavy wooden spoon or a stand mixer to combine. All dry ingredients should be fully incorporated.
- Roll out into a solid log.
- Place seitan into an oiled bread pan.
- Cover with just enough broth to come up to the sides. (see picture below) Approximately 1/2 cup broth.
- Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 90 minutes covered.
- Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours. Seitan loaf should feel completely cool to the touch.
- Wrap in foil or place in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can cut the loaf in half and store the one half in the freezer for longer storage.
- This makes a substantial amount of seitan and can be used for a variety of recipes.
Head over to www.instagram.com/CrowMoonKitchen for the Philly Cheese Steak recipe! Also, there’s a lot of delicious recipes there and copious amounts of pictures of me. So. Win win.