Pamela Toman

Tag: wheat-gluten

Beef Brisket Seitan

Shreddable texture. Slather in BBQ sauce, serve as a pot roast simmered with vegetables and rosemary in a roux-based gravy, or pull it apart to make tacos or beef barley soup.

Cheap Worcestershire sauce tends to be vegetarian (but check it for anchovies). Browning sauce can be found in the gravy aisle.

I think we should add some yellow mustard powder next time. Maybe in the dry rub?

This seitan recipe uses the Instant Pot, and its results are more consistently good than I've gotten from baking, boiling or steaming.

Ingredients Step
180 g (1½ c.) vital wheat gluten Measure into large bowl. Set aside.
140 g (5 oz.) tofu, wrung dry
½ c. dark beer or water
½ c. water
3 T. tamari
2 T. olive oil
2 T. miso paste
4 t. onion powder
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. browning sauce		 Whiz together in food processor until smooth and creamy, scraping down as needed.
Scrape tofu mixture into gluten. Stir together until dough forms. Let rest 15 minutes to hydrate.
Process in food processor for 2-4 minutes, until the dough is sticky, stretchy, glossy, and slightly warm.
2 t. smoked paprika
2 t. sweet paprika
2 t. onion powder
1 t. celery salt
1 t. black pepper
1 t. thyme
yellow mustard powder?		 Lay down a 18-inch-long sheet of heavy-duty foil on the counter. Top it with a similarly sized sheet of parchment (just so the aluminum doesn't touch the acidic food for hours). Measure the ~3 T. of dry rub spices onto the parchment, then stir the spices together.
Form the dough into a loaf-like shape that will fit in your pressure cooker, then plop it on top of the spices and roll it around so all sides are covered in the dry rub.
Tightly wrap the dough in parchment and then in foil, locking the ends tight. Then use a second 18-inch sheet of aluminum foil to wrap the loaf even more securely.
Place trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add water to just underneath the height of the trivet. Place the package on top of the trivet, and pressure cook on high for 90 minutes, then natural release the pressure for 30 minutes.
Remove the package from the Instant Pot after 90 NR 30, and let it cool on the counter until it can be handled comfortably. Refrigerate overnight as a loaf if you want to use it whole, or shred it immediately (shredding warm is easier).

Source: Skye Michael Conroy's Crafting Seitan: Creating Homemade Plant-Based Meats

Beef Brisket Seitan was published on 8 August 2025.

Recipe uses: wheat-gluten, pressure-cooker

Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken

The best seitan recipe I've made. Works acceptably alone, or even better in chicken noodle/chicken rice soup or as bbq chicken. Tastes best if browned in some oil before using. If you're making soup, you can re-use the seitan boiling broth as its base.

Don't overtax your food processor's motor. You may need a new one if you make this recipe often....

To make a nice seitan, the broth must NOT be too hot. The technique below sets a "skin" first — otherwise you get seitan brains.

Makes 4 pounds, so you'll probably use it for 2-3 recipes. The weight/volume ratio is 2 c. shredded to 8 oz. weight. It freezes well after being pulled apart.

Ingredients Step
2 c. water
1 T. olive oil
2 t. apple cider vinegar
1½ t. salt (truly)
2 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
½ t. pepper
⅛ t. turmeric (for color)		 Whiz together in food processor.
¼ c. nutritional yeast
½ c. pea protein powder (aka pea isolate aka pea flour — nothing but "yellow peas" on label)		 Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
1½ c. vital wheat gluten Pulse in, until incorporated. Then process on low about 5 minutes. Give your motor a break as needed!
10 c. chicken-y vegetable broth (can stretch with water)
8 bay leaves		 Bring broth to a boil in a large pan.
4 9" double-layered squares of cheesecloth
twine		 Divide the dough into 4 pieces, trying not to overhandle it. Roll each into an 8-inch roll, fold in half, give a twist, and pull to 6-inches. Wrap in cheesecloth, snugly but not tightly, and tie with twine. If you have loose cheesecloths threads, try to keep them away from the seitan-touching edge. Leave a wee bit of slack in the wrap so the seitan can plump up (be able to pull the cheesecloth away by about ½ inch once wrapped). Let them rest until all bundles are prepared.
After the broth is at a low boil, lower the heat so it isn't boiling at all (but is still very hot). Add the seitan bundles, which will cause another drop in temperature. Bring the heat up slightly and let the seitan cook for 20 minutes in that hot broth without boiling. Then raise the heat to achieve a low boil, and let the seitan cook for 45 more minutes, lid ajar. Turn the bundles every ~15 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Cool completely in broth to room temperature, either on the stove or in a cool place. (Likely this takes an hour or more.)
Pull apart.

Source: Isa Chandra's Post Punk Kitchen

Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken was published on 15 May 2024.

Recipe uses: wheat-gluten, cheesecloth-and-twine