Jazzing up homemade seitan!

[wefoughtharder]

I just made my own seitan for the first time and it came out wayyy better than I expected - not only was it edible, but good enough that I ate an entire third of the recipe to myself as soon as it as ready

Comments

[stephxjackson]

This won't help you but I'm dyinggg to make some homemade seitan! I've never even had it but the photos and all the talk about makes it seem so perfect!

haha sorry;)

[criticalcupcake]

you should do it! it's pretty rewarding, and most recipes make a lot. it freezes well!

[wynken]

we just fry it in mushroom gravy and it is soooo good :)

[zaftigvegan]

when i make seitan (from gluten flour), i mix seasonings right into the "dough" (either by adding spices to the dry mixture and/or adding liquid flavourings to the water/broth you mix it up with), then i flavour the broth it's cooked in.

the key to a very "meat-like" seitan for me has been thorough kneading with my bread machine - i put it through the dough cycle twice; and then i bind it up in several layers of cheesecloth, tied with twine, and then simmer it for hours and hours in a broth.

i make a great roast "beef" flavour one, a "chicken" one, and a "fishy" one. it's amazing stuff.

[wefoughtharder]

my batch was pretty light and fluffy, would kneading it in a bread machine or for more time in general and tying it up like that yield a denser, more 'steak' like texture?

[zaftigvegan]

yes, to both. i've been trying to perfect the firmer texture for nearly ten years and this method yields a very satisfactory result. let me know if you try it.

[zaftigvegan]

this recipe and this one are the ones i use most frequently.

[criticalcupcake]

ooh, congratulations!

did your recipe call for tomato paste? mine does, and it's come out deliciously each time I've made it.

another method is to simmer it in a crockpot for maybe five hours as opposed to the hour of simmering time on a stovetop.

[wefoughtharder]

yes yes, it did call for tomato paste. its just so lovely. will the crockpot simmering give it a more potent flavor?

[criticalcupcake]

I thought it changed the texture more than anything. at first, I didn't leave mine in for long enough and it was falling apart. I left it in for another hour or two and it got so much more firm than when I used the stovetop. my experience with the stovetop was better over all, but the crockpot needs less attention if you want to make it while you're busy or out and about.

someone else suggested kneading the seasonings into the seitan instead of before cooking, and I agree! it retains a lot of what you put in there.

[wefoughtharder]

suuuper info, thanks!