All Purpose Seitan Food

EASY HOMEMADE SEITAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the soy sauce with 1 cup of water in a small mixing bowl and stir together.
• Combine the gluten flour, baking powder, and optional nutritional yeast and/or seasoning blend in a medium mixing bowl.
• Gradually add the liquid to form a stiff dough, stirring with a spoon at first, and then working together with your hands. Drizzle in a little more water if need be; you want all the dry ingredients to be moistened, while making sure the dough remains stiff.
• Turn out onto a floured board (you can use additional gluten flour for this) and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. It's not going to be completely smooth, but really work it!
• Return the dough to one of the bowls you used, then cover with a clean tea towel. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a soup pot about 2/3 full with water. Add the bouillon cubes and ginger. Start heating.
• Once the dough has rested, divide it into two more or less equal pieces and pull into long, narrow loaves the shape of miniature French breads. This dough isn't easy to work with; it tends to spring back to whatever shape it's in, but do the best you can - it will come out fine.
• With a sharp, serrated knife, cut each section of dough crosswise into slices no thicker than 1/2 inch.
• When the water comes to a slow boil, gently drop in each slice of dough. Within a couple of minutes, the dough is going to puff up and look like it's threatening to escape the cooking pot! It will settle back; keep pushing the pieces down into the water. I like to reach in with kitchen sheers and cut pieces that have expanded crazily, but this is optional.
• Simmer gently and steadily for 30 minutes. Scoop out pieces of seitan to use in recipes (usually about a third to a half of the amount made with this recipe is what you'll need for an average recipe). Set on a plate or cutting board until cool enough to handle, then cut into smaller slices or chunks.

ALL-PURPOSE SEITAN

Steps:

• Make dough: Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry, mixing with a fork until blended completely. Transfer dough to a clean, flat surface and knead by hand 10 times. Let rest 3 minutes. Knead 10 to 15 timesmore; let rest 15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, in a pot, bring broth ingredients to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover.
• Roll dough into a thick log (about 3 inches wide by 8 inches long). Cut crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick disks and flatten with hands to about 1/4-inch thickness. Add disks to broth, cover, and simmer until the middle of the dough is as firm as the edges, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (If the disks become exposed during cooking, add just enough water to cover. Be sure the broth does not boil; this produces spongy seitan.) Remove from heat and let cool, uncovered, in broth.