Sea Seitan

Ingredients

DRY:

1 ¼ c vital wheat gluten

¼ c tapioca flour (available at health food stores)

¼ c rolled oats

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

1 t paprika

½ t sea salt

WET:

1 c plus 1 T plus 1 t cold water (not warm or hot)

1 T crushed arame seaweed or your favorite kind

COOKING BROTH:

7 c water

7 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bag of crab boil

½ t salt

For Bread Machine Kneading: Mix your dry ingredients (unless you are using a mix from a mason jar from storage - no need to pre-mix then). Mix your wet ingredients, using blender if needed. Put the wet in the machine. Put the dry in the machine. Turn on ‘Dough’ cycle. After the machine is done, remove, try not to break it, form into a loaf slightly, and let rest while you heat the cooking broth.

For Hand or Stand Mixer Kneading: Mix your dry ingredients (unless you are using a mix from a mason jar from storage - no need to pre-mix then). Mix your wet ingredients, using blender if needed. Put the wet in the machine. Put the dry in the machine. Knead in the mixer for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Knead again for 10 minutes. let rest for 30 minutes. Turn out onto board, shape into loaf slightly, and let rest while you heat the cooking broth. (Gluten should be shinny and smooth.)

For Cooking Cutlets: Form the gluten into one giant mass and slice a thin piece off. Slice as many pieces off an you have room for. Allowing the pieces to rest between cutting (and stretching a bit) and rolling lets the gluten relax and you can make the pieces thinner because the gluten won’t want to stretch back, like a rubber band. Place this between parchment papers and roll them out as thin as you can. Have the broth prepared and poured into a baking dish. Place each piece you roll out into the warm broth. You make overlap pieces but make sure that each piece is wet before adding another one. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a preheated 300 oven for 1 1/2 hours.

YOU MUST LET YOUR SEITAN COOL BEFORE USING. It needs to firm up. Make the seitan the night before, while watching TV, or writing emails or working or studying. Each seitan makes enough for 1 and 1/4 meals. Freeze the other 1/3 of your seitan and you will be one-third the way to another meal. Or refrigerate in the broth whatever you did not use in the recipe and make a sandwich during the week. Pan fry and put between bread. Dice and pan-fry, put in salad. Slice into thin strips and make a stir-fry. Mix and match your flavors, too. For example, thaw both Firm and Tender Seitan, etc.