DIY Seitan (without using Vital Gluten Flour) - 3

soyaspade:

I made it in a 2-day vegan cooking class with Peter Berley (Angelica Kitchen). It took a while and used a lot of water. It was delicious, and noticably better than VWG seitan, but I'm too lazy too do it! Here is the recipe. Is the Candle Cafe seitan recipe different?

Homemade Seitan
2 lbs AP flour or Bread flour
2 lbs WW Bread flour
4-5 cups cold water

1. To make the gluten, in a large bowl, combine the flours and water and form into a ball. Transfer the dough to a counter and knead for 20 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when pulled.
2. Put the dough in a mixing bowl and cover with lukewarm water. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes so that the gluten can relax. If it is not allowed to relax, the gluten will not separate itself from the starch, bran and germ.
3. Meanwhile, place the dough in a colander inside a mixing bowl. Put the bowl
containing the colander and dough into the sink and fill with cold tap water. Wash it in the cold water for 5 minutes, squishing, pulling, and squeezing the dough in your hands. Then wash it for 5 minutes in warm water. Repeat the cold water, then warm water rinsings and end with a 2 minute cold water wash for a total of 5 rinsings. With each succeeding washing the water will become clearer and clearer and the gluten will be more and more developed. At first it will feel like there is an amazing amount of starch coming off, then the gluten starts to break away ad the dough feels and looks like a wet ragged mass. Then it will become spongy with a lot of loose strands. The strands should start to get tighter, and finally it will become a smooth round ball. What remains is the glutinous part of the wheat, the protein. All of the starch and 90% of the bran have been washed away.
4. Divide the gluten into 2 equal-sized balls and simmer in the stock for 1 hour. Add water from time to time to keep the balls submerged. When the seitan is ready, strain the stock and reserve it for use in a soup or sauce.

Yield: 2 1/2 pounds seitan

http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3006&p=77229&hilit=seitan#p77229