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Seitan is wholewheat gluten that is made to form a solid consistency that can be chopped, sliced or left whole for cooking. It is often used in vegetarian cooking as a substitute for meats. While it is possible to buy seitan, it can be quite pricey and not every health food store stocks it. Fortunately, it's easy to make it at home.
Ingredients
- 2 cups wholewheat flour
- 1 cup water
- 8 cups vegetable broth
Steps
Making the dough
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1Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of water to the food processor.
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2Process the mixture for 30 seconds or until the mixture forms a ball of dough. If the mixture is loose and sticky, add more flour and process until the mixture holds together in a ball.Advertisement
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3Put the ball of dough into a bowl. Cover it with hot water.
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4Let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
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5While the dough is sitting, add 8 cups of vegetable broth to the slow cooker. Place the cooking temperature on high.
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6After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, put the bowl with the dough and water in the sink.
Kneading the dough
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1Knead the dough underwater until the water turns opaque. (This is the starch being drawn from the dough.)
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2Dump out the opaque water.
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3Refill the bowl with enough warm water to cover the ball of dough.
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4Repeat steps 1 to 3 until the water is no longer opaque when kneading the dough. This could take 15 to 20 repetitions. Note that the dough will reduce to approximately 40% of its original size in its transition into seitan.
Cooking the seitan
Things You'll Need
- Food processor
- Slow cooker