Step 1

I'm starting with water dyed with vegan red food coloring to form the dough ball for the "meaty" part. If you prefer to use beet root powder or red yeast rice powder, you can opt to add it in while seasoning the dough ball instead. This way you only need to wash one! If you're using the red dye, mix about 2 cups of red water into your 6 cups of flour and have about another 1/2-1 cup reserved to add as you go.

Step 2

For the "fatty" part, mix 2 cups of bread flour with about 3/4 cup of water, and again, add a little more if you need it as you mix.

Step 3

Let your dough ball(s) rest for at least 1 hour. You can either cover them with cool water (which you can use in your first wash) or cover with a damp cloth.

Step 4

While your dough balls are resting, add all of the seasoning paste ingredients to a small pot, stir to mix, and bring it to a boil. Then lower it to a simmer and cook it down, stirring more frequently as the moisture evaporates so it doesn't burn. You want it to look like sludge/wet paste when it's done. Set it aside and it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Step 5

Wash these dough balls very thoroughly. You don't normally want rubbery seitan, but if you can recall the texture of prosciutto, it is very tough and chewy, which is why it's always sliced so thin. I didn't let my water go completely clear, but it was barely hazy. If you're new to washing flour, check out my step-by-step tutorial here.Making this for a charcuterie board? Save your starch and make some awesome cheese to go with it!

Step 6

Once washed, drain your dough balls for about 20-30 minutes. Wring them out to remove as much excess water as possible. Pop your "fatty" dough ball into a food processor and add the dry seasonings. Blitz until it's all incorporated. Alternatively, you can use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the seasoning into the dough. Let it rest and move onto the the "meaty" dough ball.

Step 7

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems from the cooled seasoning paste. Add it to the food processor (or cut in seasonings by hand) along with the red dough ball and the dry seasonings for the "meaty" bit. Process and let it rest.

Step 8

I found it's easiest to begin making my layers of red and white while the gluten is still soft and not stretchy yet. I use a little more red than white for each layer, spreading them out as much as possible until both are used up. Let the dough rest this way for about an hour.

Step 9

How intricate you get with the layers is up to you. After an hour of resting, my gluten felt stronger, but still a little too weak to stretch very far without breaking. I folded it in half and let it rest again. After about another hour it seemed pretty stretchy, but I folded it again and let it rest even more.

Step 10

Once your dough is strong enough to stretch and you're happy with the layers, get your steaming apparatus ready. Wrap your dough pretty tight like a sausage, twisting at the ends, (I used foil, but if you don't like to use that you can use parchment paper and then foil, or cheesecloth) but press down to flatten it out a bit to make it easier to slice.

Step 11

Steam it for about an hour. It should feel firm when it's done. I usually leave it sitting in the steamer until it comes to room temperature, and then store it in the fridge (still wrapped) overnight.

Step 12

The next day, slice your prosciutto as thinly as possible. You will find it to be rubbery if you leave it too thick. I am fortunate enough to have a slicer, but this will slice well with a mandoline, also. Or if you have mad knife skills, more power to you!

Step 13

Brush each slice with a little bit of oil. I like olive oil but it does impart a strong flavor, so use any you prefer. It will add a glossy finish that's perfect for your charcuterie board, and will also help it crisp around the edges if wrapping around asparagus, or topping on a pizza. Make the bonus infused oil recipe for an even stronger flavor punch!