Veggie Works Vegan Cookbook Publisher: Veggie Works, Inc. © 2001 by Mark W. Rasmussen ISBN: 0970996616

Reprinted with permission from the author, Mark W. Rasmussen.

Basic Seitan (p. 286)

This is the basic formula for excellent homemade seitan.
Can be used as stew meat or 'beef' chunks in sautes, soups, casseroles and more!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 3 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups cold water
• 4 qts Vegetable Stock (p. 75 or other)

Directions

Thoroughly sift and combine the flour with the vital wheat gluten and salt, then add the water. Use your hands to mix into a firm dough. Allow dough to rest for at least 15 minutes.

After rest period, knead the dough with your hands as you would a bread loaf for about one minute. Allow dough to rest again for another 5-15 minutes.

After second rest period, knead dough as before but this time dig deeper with your fingers until dough thins at center. Continuing this motion, center will tear away, leaving a doughnut shaped rope of raw seitan.

Wet hands lightly and place rope on a cutting board. Cut rope at some point and then slice inch thick rounds off of seitan dough rope. Have stock boiling on the stove and commence tossing the seitan medallions into the pot, making sure that medallions don't stick to each other. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium and boil seitan for a minimum of 20 minutes.

When cooking period is finished, remove seitan chunks from stock pot using a small strainer to pick them out of the pot. Place cooked seitan in a bowl or container for cooling. Cooked seitan will not stick together so no need to worry about putting all the pieces together.

Seitan medallions are now ready for use, and can be used whole, chopped, or sliced. Prepared cuts should then always be pan seared in a small amount of oil before using in meals. Can be frozen. [MAKES ABOUT 30 MEDALLIONS]