Chicken-Style Seitan

(Vegan)

By Real Food Daily

Use a baking pan that fits comfortably within a larger roasting pan to create a bain-marie, or water bath that will gently cook the seitan dough. Be sure to have all your equipment ready before you begin making the dough as you'll want to transfer it to the baking pan as soon as it's made. Since this recipe makes 4 pounds of seitan, cut it into smaller 1-pound squares and store the extra squares in the freezer.

• 1/2 c. plus 1 T. canola oil
• 2/3 c. chopped onion
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 3 1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
• 1 c. garbanzo flour
• 2/3 c. nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained
• 1/3 c. tamari
• 3 c. water

Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Lightly oil the parchment paper or spritz with canola oil spray. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.

Stir the gluten, garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Puree the beans, the tamari, the remaining half cup of oil, and the sautéed onion mixture in a blender until smooth, adding some of the water to create a smooth, creamy consistency. In a separate bowl, whisk the bean puree and the remaining water to blend. Quickly stir the bean mixture into the dry ingredients until a very wet dough forms. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Cover with aluminum foil.

Place the pan of seitan dough in a larger roasting pan, then add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pan of seitan. Bake for 2 hours, or until the seitan is firm on top, adding more water to the roasting pan if necessary. Cool the seitan to room temperature and quarter it into 4 equal pieces.