Seitan- Method I

* Exported from MasterCook *

SEITAN - METHOD I

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Vegetarian Ethnic

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 c Whole wheat bread flour
-(Stone-ground), -ÿÿ
-Hi-gluten unbleached white
3 c Water (or more),
-(depending on the amount
- of gluten in the flour)
1/2 c Tamari
12 sl Fresh ginger
-(each about 1/8" thick)
1 Piece kombu, about 3" long

Yield: 14 ounces uncooked; 16 ounces cooked Time: 1
hour preparation; 2 hours cooking

Mix the flour and water by hand or in a machine to
make a medium-stiff but not sticky dough. Knead the
dough by hand on a breadboard or tabletop, until it
has the consistency of an earlobe, or by machine until
the dough forms a ball that follows the path of the
hook around the bowl. You may need to add a little
extra water or flour to achieve the desired
consistency. Kneading with take about 10 to 12
minutes by machine. Allow the dough to rest in a bowl
of cold water for about 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the stock. In a
large pot, bring to boil 3 quarts of water. Add the
tamari, ginger, and kombu, and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. This stock must
be cold before it's used. (The cold liquid causes the
gluten to contract and prevents the seitan from
acquiring a bready texture.) You will be using this
stock to cook the seitan later.

To wash out the starch, use warm water to begin with.
Warm water loosens the dough and makes the task
easier. Knead the dough, immersed in water, in the
bowl. When the water turns milky, drain it off and
refill the bowl with fresh water. In the final rinses,
use cold water to tighten the gluten. If you wish,
save the bran by straining the water through a fine
sieve; the bran will be left behind. Save the starch
by allowing the milky water to settle in the bottom of
the bowl; slowly pour off the water and collect the
starch, which you can use for thickening soups,
sauces, and stews.

When kneading, remember to work toward the center of
the dough so that it does not break into pieces.
After about eight changes of water, you will begin to
feel the dough become firmer and more elastic. The
water will no longer become cloudy as you knead it.
To make sure you have kneaded and rinsed it enough,
lift the dough out of the water and squeeze it. The
liquid oozing out should be clear, not milky.

To shape the seitan, lightly oil a 1-pound loaf pan.
Place the rinsed seitan in the pan and let it rest
until the dough relaxes. (After the dough has been
rinsed for the last time in cold water, the gluten
will have tightened and the dough will be tense,
tough, and resistant to taking on any other shape.)
After it has rested for 10 minutes, it will be much
more flexible.

Seitan is cooked in two steps. In the first step, the
dough is put into a large pot with about 3 quarts of
plain, boiling water. Boil the seitan for about 30 to
45 minutes, or until it floats to the surface. Drain
the seitan and cut it into usable pieces (steaks,
cutlets, 1-inch chunks, or whatever) or leave whole.
Return the seitan to the cold tamari stock. Bring the
stock to a boil, lower temperature, and simmer in the
stock for 1-1/2 to 2 hours (45 minutes if the seitan
is cut into small pieces). The second cooking step
may also be done in a pressure cooker, in which case
it would take between 30 to 45 minutes.

To store seitan, keep it refrigerated, immersed in the
tamari stock. Seitan will keep indefinitely if it is
brought to a boil in the tamari stock and boiled for
10 minutes twice a week. Otherwise, use it within
eight or nine days.

VARIATIONS: Instead of boiling the seitan in plain
water and then stock, let the seitan drain for a while
after it has been rinsed. Slice it and either
deep-fry or saute the slices until both sides are
brown. Then cook it in the tamari stock according to
the recipe.

Seitan also may be cooked (at the second step) in a
broth flavored with carrots, onion, celery, garlic,
tamari, and black pepper, which will give it a flavor
similar to pot roast. Shiitake mushrooms may also be
added to the stock.

Source: Friendly Foods - by Brother Ron Pickarski,
O.F.M. ISBN: 0-89815-377-8 Typed (mistakes and all) by
Karen Mintzias



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