Classic Vegan Seitan

1. Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together the vital wheat gluten flour and nutritional yeast. This forms the base of your seitan dough.

2. Combine Wet Ingredients

In a smaller bowl, combine the cold vegetable broth, soy sauce, olive oil, and pressed or grated garlic. Stir these wet ingredients well to ensure the garlic is evenly distributed.

3. Form Seitan Dough

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture is absorbed and the mixture starts to clump together. Then, knead the dough with your hands for about 3 minutes. The dough should become elastic and stretchy. Once kneaded, divide the dough into three pieces using a knife and stretch each piece out a bit.

4. Prepare Broth

In a large stockpot, combine the 8 cups of cold water with the vegetable bouillon cubes and add the soy sauce. Bring this mixture to a boil.

5. Cook Seitan

Once the broth is boiling, carefully add the seitan pieces. Reduce the heat immediately to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot partially with the lid, allowing some steam to escape, and let the seitan simmer for 1 hour. Turn the seitan pieces occasionally to ensure even cooking.

6. Rest Seitan

After an hour, turn off the heat and let the seitan sit in the broth for about 15 minutes. This resting period helps firm up the texture of the seitan.

7. Cool and Store Seitan

Remove the seitan from the pot and let it cool in a strainer until it’s cool enough to handle. Store any extra seitan in its cooking liquid in a tightly covered container.