Easy Homemade Seitan Recipe

Step 1

Combine the soy sauce with 1 cup of water in a small mixing bowl and stir together.

Step 2

Combine the gluten flour, baking powder, and optional nutritional yeast and/or seasoning blend in a medium mixing bowl.

Step 3

Gradually add the liquid to form a stiff dough, stirring with a spoon at first, and then working together with your hands. Drizzle in a little more water if need be; you want all the dry ingredients to be moistened, while making sure the dough remains stiff.

Step 4

Turn out onto a floured board (you can use additional gluten flour for this) and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. It’s not going to be completely smooth, but really work it!

Step 5

Return the dough to one of the bowls you used, then cover with a clean tea towel. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Meanwhile, fill a roomy soup pot about 2/3 full with water. Add the bouillon cubes and ginger. Start heating.

Step 7

Once the dough has rested, divide it into two more or less equal pieces and pull into long, narrow loaves the shape of miniature French breads. This dough isn’t easy to work with; it tends to spring back to whatever shape it’s in, but do the best you can — it will come out fine!

Step 8

With a sharp, serrated knife, cut each section of dough crosswise into slices no thicker than 1/2 inch; or, you can cut random small pieces off with kitchen shears.

Step 9

When the water comes to a slow boil, gently drop in each slice of dough. Within a couple of minutes, the dough is going to puff up and look like it’s threatening to escape the cooking pot! It will settle back; keep pushing the pieces down into the water with a wooden spoon. I like to reach in with kitchen sheers and cut pieces that have expanded crazily, but this is optional.

Step 10

Simmer gently and steadily for 30 minutes. Scoop out pieces of seitan to use in recipes (usually about a third to a half of the amount made with this recipe is what you’ll need for an average recipe). Set on a plate or cutting board until cool enough to handle, then cut into smaller slices or chunks, if you'd like.