Seitan makes a great addition to many dishes and pairs well with roasted vegetables.
When Carly told me she was writing a post about Gluten Free Seitan, my interest was immediately piqued. Seitan is usually made with gluten (wheat protein), so I was eager to hear about a way to make it gluten free. Here is her recipe, which looks easy and sounds wonderful. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Seitan:
- 1/4 cup BRM Flaxseed Meal
- 1/2 cup BRM GF Rolled Oats
- 1-15 oz can Chili Beans or Red Beans, drained
- 1 tsp Chipotle Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup Instant Yeast
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and whirl until mostly smooth and tacky. The flaxseed meal will make it a little gummy and sticky when it is processed enough. Let rest 5-7 minutes until it starts to swell if you’re cooking immediately, or refrigerate in a container at least double the size of the dough. Heat a pan with a little oil over medium heat.
Dip a scoop or spoon in warm water before scooping the dough.
Sear balls of the dough, slightly flattened for about 5 minutes per side and finish in the oven till mostly firm. This makes a great GF meat alternative, perfect for veggie burgers (which usually have wheat in them) and can be easily tweaked for breakfast “sausage” or made less spicy. Also, try searing and chopping up for nacho topping or tacos.
Carly Herring blogs for The Empress, a lovely restaurant in Richmond, Virginia with many gluten free and vegetarian choices. You can read more about the restaurant from Carly, here.
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Ok, this sounds perfect! I’m definitely making this one! Thank you for sharing it!
I am so excited (and curious) to try this!
when you call for instant yeast–is that instant bread yeast like Fleischmann’s or are you referring to nutritional yeast? I’m anxious to try this since I don’t do well with soy for a meat alternative. Thanks.
Karen-
Yes, I’m pretty sure she means instant yeast for bread baking. I think it’s to give the seitan some lift because you won’t have the same texture as you would when using gluten to make it.
Thanks Cassidy
I’m anxious to hear how these are received….that’s a lot of yeast!
seems a lot of yeast going in? is it a miss print I wonder
Hey Karen,
Yes, that is a lot of yeast! Cassidy is on the right track with the rationale Basically what happens here (if I may geek out for a minute) is that the flax and the beans get a little stretchy and smooth, then the yeast eats up all that starch and gives it’s rise, as well as a pleasant tangy taste. Then, when you cook it, the air pockets the yeast made give it that “meaty” texture. So yes, fleischmann’s yeast is perfect… That’s the one I use! Instant, active, and dry are all adjectives that work, and the quantity is correct.
Thanks Carly. I appreciate the response. I’ll have to go yeast shopping. It seems like that would be half a small jar. Would the bulk pkg that Bob’s sells work? I don’t think it’s instant, but active and dry.
The Bob’s would work for sure. Sam’s club for sure, and Costco probably has a larger size… 2x 1lb bricks.
Do you drain the beans first?
Yes, drain the beans first. I’ve added that to the instructions.
Hello,
So do I need to activate the yeast with water?
Thanks,
MEgan
Hi Megan,
No, you do not need to activate the yeast. Because it is instant it should activate when you mix all of the ingredients together. It does not need to be dissolved the way that active dry yeast does.
Is this stringy? I was looking to make a non-rubbery wheat meat. I have a hard time finding vital wheat gluten in my area. Last time I made my seitan, it was rubbery. Does this make it not rubbery. It’d like it to be soft and stringy.
Ann,
I’m not sure, as I haven’t made this myself. Please contact Carly through her website at http://theempressrva.com/
In your recipe for the gluten free seitan, if you’re not eating it right away how do you bake it? Is it rolled up in foil and baked in the oven for a certain amount of time? If so on what temperature and for how long? Can you use oat flour instead of the oats?
We’ll try to get an answer for you, Lesley. This was a guest post so I’ve contacted the author to see if she can help us out.
Thanks Cassidy.
Lesley,
This recipe is actually great for if you’re not planning on eating it right away. Rolling it into a log will certainly work. I’d advise searing it in a nonstick pan first, but that’s optional. Oat flour will also work, but the texture wouldn’t be as good. The rolled oats swell and hold their shape, giving it a pleasant chew, without which the end product could be pasty. So as to the oven cooking, if you sear the outside, 20 minutes in a 400° oven will give you a lovely roast. If you don’t sear the sides, raise the temperature to 425° and give it an extra 5-10 minutes. You can test doneness with a clean, dry skewer, just like cake.
Thank you, I can’t wait to try it. It looks delicious.
Getting ready to make this today. I’m going to follow the log idea in the above post. Sear it and then bake it. My question is: After I bake it, how long can it be in the fridge and/or freezer? AND How do you warm it back up when you use it in recipes?
Would it be better to freezer smaller portions or the whole log? Crumble it or patty it out for storage?
Adam,
We would guess that it would last 4-5 days in the fridge, longer (6 weeks?) in the freezer. Definitely cut into pieces before freezing. To use it, simply defrost. It depends on what you want to do with it for how to use it in recipes. Do a google search and you’ll come up with all sorts of wonderful ideas.
I tried this recipe exaclty how it’s posted and it tasted delicious but a little dry? Is there anything I could do to moisten it up like a regular pattie?
Des,
I haven’t tried this recipe myself, but looking at it I would guess adding a bit of liquid to the recipe while making it would help it moisten up. I would recommend adding 2 Tbsp of water or broth and judging the texture. If it still seems to dry, add a bit more. The oats will absorb a lot of liquid, so you might just need to compensate a bit.