How to Make Seitan from Scratch

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

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the dough

1
Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of water to the food processor.
2
Process 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
3
Put the ball of dough into a bowl. Cover it with hot water.
4
Let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
5
While the dough is sitting, add 8 cups of vegetable broth to the slow cooker. Place the cooking temperature on high.
6
After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, put the bowl with the dough and water in the sink.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Kneading the dough

1
Knead the dough underwater until the water turns opaque. (This is the starch being drawn from the dough.)
2
Dump out the opaque water.
3
Refill the bowl with enough warm water to cover the ball of dough.
4
Repeat 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.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Cooking the seitan

1
Add your newly formed seitan to your slow cooker. Make sure that the broth covers the seitan completely.
2
Cook on high for 2 hours. Flip the seitan halfway through.
3
Store the seitan by refrigerating it in the broth. Use with a week of making.