Anyone make seitan?

Nekodaiden

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Looking for a DIY recipe from either the whole grain itself of wholegrain flour. I tried one I found online and my Seitan was a failure after trying their method.

Please only post a link if you've had success with it, or post your own method.

My interest is in starting with the whole grain, or the whole grain flour, not vital wheat gluten.
 
Sorry I'm not sure that's going to work. Vital wheat gluten works like a charm though. It's higher in protein and has a binding quality that whole grain flour doesn't have.
 
I also use vital wheat gluten for my seitan, when I do make it, but I have read recipes online with whole wheat flour that must obviously work. I suspect the kneading process would be a bit more critical with whole wheat. I think vital wheat gluten breaks down easier, which requires less kneading, with less technique. The biggest problems I see happening would be either an inconsistent moisture content, being either too much or lacking in liquid. Most recipes I find are just an approximation, which could go either way. If it's dry, you add more liquid, and if it's too wet, you add more flour.

My suggestion would be attempting several small batches until you iron out your technique, successfully. I find with vital wheat gluten I can now pretty much do it by feel and appearance. I'm pretty sure I'd find whole wheat the same with a bit of practice. It's really just a matter of mixing the right amount of liguid to flour, and kneading it properly. I know climate can play a roll with some doughs proofing, but in my own experience, I've not found this a problem.

The above technique works for me. As they say, if at first you don't succeed, try try again. You will get it, eventually.


*
 
Gaz Oakleys BBQ Ribs are very good (Seitan) Though not close to real ribs l have found that making his ribs then cutting them into strips or chunks and using them to compliment a dish and not as the main coarse. I used my food processor to knead the dough then you really have to beat it out as it is very elastic.
 
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O k, I finally did this (successfully) today, using whole wheat flour. Basically I made dough that I'd normally make for flat bread (with a 65% water (of) whole wheat content*), + salt, then after it was properly kneaded (I use a bread maker for this), soaked for 30min in cold water, then kneaded again and again and again until nearly all the starch was diffused in the water, and bran left over on the bottom.

Don't know how well it was done compared to commercial, but I ended up with (roughly) a 3rd or less of what I started with in dough. After spicing and baking, it had a texture similar to meat. Sort of a heavier feeling in my stomach too, after a few sandwiches with it.

Now my question is: For those who make seitan, what do you do with all the leftover starch? I was thinking "what a waste of great starch" and any minerals in it, plus the bran left over, and I didn't want to waste it so I put it out into the garden as I understand plants do like starch. However, anyone else have any ideas on what to do with the leftover bran and starch?

*by weight
 
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O k, I finally did this (successfully) today, using whole wheat flour. Basically I made dough that I'd normally make for flat bread (with a 65% water (of) whole wheat content*), + salt, then after it was properly kneaded (I use a bread maker for this), soaked for 30min in cold water, then kneaded again and again and again until nearly all the starch was diffused in the water, and bran left over on the bottom.

Don't know how well it was done compared to commercial, but I ended up with (roughly) a 3rd or less of what I started with in dough. After spicing and baking, it had a texture similar to meat. Sort of a heavier feeling in my stomach too, after a few sandwiches with it.

Now my question is: For those who make seitan, what do you do with all the leftover starch? I was thinking "what a waste of great starch" and any minerals in it, plus the bran left over, and I didn't want to waste it so I put it out into the garden as I understand plants do like starch. However, anyone else have any ideas on what to do with the leftover bran and starch?

*by weight

I've also seen various recipes where seitan is made out of wholewheat flour. It's seems far more complicated due to the kneading, soaking,rinsing ect. As I've never tasted it I have no idea how the taste would compare to seitan using wheat gluten.

I use quite a simple and easy method and the only drawback is that it takes a long time to cook.

You could use the starchy water for making sauces, soups etc. However, the best usage would be for watering plants which you have done. 😉
 
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Gaz Oakleys BBQ Ribs are very good (Seitan) Though not close to real ribs l have found that making his ribs then cutting them into strips or chunks and using them to compliment a dish and not as the main coarse. I used my food processor to knead the dough then you really have to beat it out as it is very elastic.

Whoa... this looks great!!
 
O k, I finally did this (successfully) today, using whole wheat flour. Basically I made dough that I'd normally make for flat bread (with a 65% water (of) whole wheat content*), + salt, then after it was properly kneaded (I use a bread maker for this), soaked for 30min in cold water, then kneaded again and again and again until nearly all the starch was diffused in the water, and bran left over on the bottom.

Don't know how well it was done compared to commercial, but I ended up with (roughly) a 3rd or less of what I started with in dough. After spicing and baking, it had a texture similar to meat. Sort of a heavier feeling in my stomach too, after a few sandwiches with it.

Now my question is: For those who make seitan, what do you do with all the leftover starch? I was thinking "what a waste of great starch" and any minerals in it, plus the bran left over, and I didn't want to waste it so I put it out into the garden as I understand plants do like starch. However, anyone else have any ideas on what to do with the leftover bran and starch?

*by weight
I'm curious as to why you are making vital wheat gluten from whole wheat flour. Any of the benefits from whole wheat vs white wheat end up down the drain, as the whole point behind washing the dough is to get rid of anything that isn't gluten protein. If you want to make vital wheat gluten from flour, start with white as it is much cheaper as it contains fat more gluten per weight. I am also curious as to why you are making vital wheat gluten from scratch when it is even cheaper to buy it, and you don't have to dehydrate and grind in to a powder like the home made stuff. If vital wheat gluten is not available in your area then I can see why, but unless you dehydrate it and turn it to flour, you will be very limited in what kind of seitan you can make, as the finished gluten dough doesn't take to marinade very well.
 
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I'm curious as to why you are making vital wheat gluten from whole wheat flour. Any of the benefits from whole wheat vs white wheat end up down the drain, as the whole point behind washing the dough is to get rid of anything that isn't gluten protein. If you want to make vital wheat gluten from flour, start with white as it is much cheaper as it contains fat more gluten per weight. I am also curious as to why you are making vital wheat gluten from scratch when it is even cheaper to buy it, and you don't have to dehydrate and grind in to a powder like the home made stuff. If vital wheat gluten is not available in your area then I can see why, but unless you dehydrate it and turn it to flour, you will be very limited in what kind of seitan you can make, as the finished gluten dough doesn't take to marinade very well.


1. Because it is not easily available. I cannot just pick it up at a local
grocer, I have to order it online.

2. I cannot grow vital wheat gluten, obviously, as it's a prepared product.

3. I agree many of the benefits are washed away, though I doubt as many
as had I started with an already stripped grain. My goal was to make
a textured product from bare essentials with little dependence on
anyone. As it stands, for this I just depended on the grain mill for
flour. But one must start somewhere.

4. I didn't dehydrate it or grind it. The finished product still had a meat like texture. It may not
have been as versatile as something made from white flour or vital wheat gluten itself, but I wasn't
interested so much in this as I was in just making it from (near) scratch.

5. Have you tried making seitan from a gluten containing whole grain so that you can say definitively that
it won't marinade well? I'm not saying you're incorrect in this, just that I prefer direct experience
as proof over mere reckoning.

Although I did not attempt a marinade, after it was made and before it was baked, I kneaded it again in
a bread maker adding the desired spices. After baking, the end product was slice-able, had a meat like texture,
and the flavor of the spices added. That was basically what I was after.