I use Seitan every morning in my high-protein breakfast sandwich (seitan, tofu, cheese on homemade bread). Seitan is made from gluten flour and is very easy to make at home. I personally find the kind you can get in the store (usually suspended in water) kind of gross and quite expensive. But to each their own. Here's the recipe (pay attention to instructions, it will make your life easier).
Note: seitan is dense by definition, doesn't have a ton of flavor, but it delivers a lot of protein. Don't expect it to be delicious by itself. This one is pretty good.
Ingredients
- 2 c. gluten flour (Bob's Red Mill carrier this, make sure it's 85% protein or you have the wrong kind of flour (picture included).
- 1/2 c. chicpea flour (called "besan" in Indian stores) -- this ingredient helps you absorb the protein in the gluten flour
- 1/4 c. nutritional yeast (optional) - also helps absorb protein and helps taste, but not required.
- 2 t. salt
- 1 T oil (canola, or olive)
- warm water as needed
Optional Spices
- powdered coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and asafoetida to taste -- for me about 2 t. coriander, 1 t. cumin, 1 t. turmeric, pinch black pepper (make the turmeric active) 1/2 t. asafoetida (called "hing" in Indian stores). You can also add hot pepper to taste to "spice things up".
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients and spices (as desired) together. If your chicpea flour is coarse, feel free to sift.
- Add warm water until you form a soft dough. If you do not use warm to hot water, the dough will be very hard to manipulate and have the quality of ground beef, which for me is not very pleasant. Let set for 45 minutes to an hour (or more).
- Turn the mixture into a pie plate (or two) or other shallow baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes, until cooked at the center.
Notes
The final texture of the baked seitan will be dense and somewhat bready. I cut the round piece into four equal pieces, then I slice it (like a meat product) to add to my sandwich. Seitan freezes very well, so I often make a big batch and freeze it. Just keep it airtight so it doesn't get freezer burn and thaw in the fridge the night before using.