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Bloody hell! You could have warned me...! Whilst I've eaten seitan out of a packet I'd never made it before. It was a bit of a surprise. Firstly kneading it was like having a fight with Stretch Armstrong - how strong is this stuff? I really didn't expect that- I ended up cutting it with a knife as ripping it wasn't very controlled. Secondly you do say it expands but for the uninitiated it more than doubles in size which was a bit or a surprise. It made for a really hefty portion (I've had to put the rest in the fridge and I'll do a second batch even though I used a little over half the amount of flour).
Overall thought it was really interesting and thanks for posting the recipe. There's nothing better than having tried and tested recipes like this. I really liked the taste and the coating reminded me of the nice quorn vegan burger things they make (which I like). The only thing I'm not sure I got right is the texture. Mine was really rubbery. It seemed different to the prepared seitan I've eaten. Any tips? Am I doing something wrong? Was that down to over kneading perhaps?
Also where can you get vital wheat gluten for cheap? It's so bloody expensive!
olaf_von_pokemon-
Also where can you get vital wheat gluten for cheap? It's so bloody expensive!
..over here (Berlin) they even have it in some discounter-supermarkets now, for cheap.
Some years ago it was only available at organic food stores (pretty pricey), but then I found an online shop where you could get it cheap, at least if you bought larger quantities.
Suppose there's something like this in the UK as well? -
Agreed, it is bloody expensive, I think using just gluten flour will give you the same results... I know the Red Mill flour is like £8 a pack... try Whole Foods or a local health shop... saying that, Whole Foods is where I saw the Red Mill flour!
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Also where can you get vital wheat gluten for cheap? It's so bloody expensive!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Kneading is a bit of a dark art. Too little and it's too airy, too much and it gets rubbery.
Re: the wheat gluten flour I got 1KG from Amazon for £4.28 I think it was which isn't too bad considering the amount of Seitan dough you can get from that I think, although it's out of stock at the moment https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buy-Whole-Foods-Online-Gluten/dp/B007CX0ZSK
salad
Johnnyw75
EB
Originally I copied the recipe from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGf6e6M8K80&t=108s
but found that using yeast resulted in a very light dough which puffed up hugely in the fryer - although it did go back down once out, the texture wasn't really meaty enough for me, so second attempt I omitted the yeast
basic recipe for the seitan
for Seitan:
340 gram/1 cup of Vital wheat gluten flour
1 tablespoon Marigold Engervita yeast flakes
seasoning (I used two teaspoons cajun seasoning, a really good helping of black pepper from a mill, and a pinch of salt)
for fried coating:
bowl of plain flour big enough to coat cooked pieces in
seasoning to taste - salt and loads of black pepper - season-all - cajun seasoning - all the seasoning basically!!
buttermilk or vegan alternative for 'washing' pieces in before coating
add approx 1 cup/236 Ml water (with one tablespoon liquid aminos or dark soy sauce added to the water) to the flour mix slowly and mix in until dough begins to form, keeping an eye on water as you add it - you might not need it all
once you've got your dough knead it for a good three mins - most Seitan recipes say you shouldn't over knead, but I find if you do it results in firmer texture
break it up into roughly 4-6 pieces depending on how big you want your chicken burgers - or could do several pieces in filet/strip style if preferred
I experimented with same batch, different cooking methods - one I steamed in tightly wrapped kitchen foil for 30 mins - one I just put into boiling broth (litre of water with two large tablespoons of Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon powder) and once in, simmered for approx 30 mins. At first these two burgers swelled instantly and became very 'brains' like in look, although once breaded and deep fried, both methods produced almost identical taste and texture
once out of steamer/simmering water wash in milk and coat liberally in flour mix and deep fry in rapeseed oil for 2 mins ish or until golden brown - drain on kitchen paper