Vegan Deli-Style Beef | Washed Flour Seitan

Step 1

Start by adding about 2 cups of water and mix it into your flour. If it's not forming into a dough, add a little more. It's easier to wash if it's a little bit sticky as opposed to dry and crumbly, but too much water can make it fall apart when washing. Make sure the water is fully incorporated. You can either knead it into a ball or simply let it rest in the bowl like this for 15 minutes. Then cover it with cool water and let it rest again for about an hour.

Step 2

Wash that flour! If you're new to flour-washing, check out this step-by-step tutorial here. For this I washed to the cloudy water stage. I try to wash as much starch out as I can because I want the texture for this to be meaty, but washing to clear water could make it a bit rubbery.

Step 3

Once washed, drain your ball of gluten for about 20-30 minutes. While it's draining, you can either add all of the seasoning ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, or into a bowl and stir together by hand.

Step 4

If using a food processor, add the drained gluten to it with your seasonings and blitz until it's fully mixed. If not, you can use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the mixed seasonings into the gluten. Place the seasoned gluten on a cutting board with grooves or in a place it can drain a little more and let it rest like this for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 5

For steaming you can use an Instant Pot fitted with the trivet or a pot on the stove with a vegetable steamer basket and lid. Add water until it sits just below the top of the trivet or basket, and if using the stove-top method get the water going on medium/high.

Step 6

When the seitan is ready it should be strong enough to stretch without breaking. Shape it into a ball and flatten a little bit to make it more rectangular. Use aluminum foil or muslin/cheesecloth to wrap it like a package. You want it to be wrapped pretty tight so it doesn't have much room to expand. Place it in the Instant Pot and set to manual/high for 1 hour, or steam for one hour. When steaming, check it halfway through to make sure there's enough water in the pot.

Step 7

The seitan should feel firm once cooked. Keeping it wrapped, let it come to room temperature. Then, let it rest in the fridge for about 8 hours or overnight. It will continue to firm up as it rests. Don't forget to save that starch! This pepper jack cheese makes a perfect topping for your deli-style beef sandwich!