My famous Seitanwurst

A couple of years ago I stumbled across a recipe for "Seitan of Greatness" on the web, and decided to try it. It was a big hit for Nike and I, and is now a regular part of our menu. Seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten. Basically, flour is washed in a water bath to remove all the starches and what is left is a gummy mass of protein. For convenience the wheat gluten is made into a powder and can be purchased in bulk at stores like Whole Foods.

The original recipe I found used a lot of spices to create what is basically a vegan pepperoni. The wheat gluten is mixed with spices and liquids, formed into a sausage shape , wrapped in aluminum foil, and baked. Not only is it tasty, it is packed with protein and also with B vitamins from the nutritional yeast. One Seitanwurst has about 158 grams of protein, or about 10 grams per slice.

The great thing about seitan is that it really has no flavor, so you are free to create your own flavors in it. I've modified the spices in the original recipe to create Seitanwurst recipes that taste like BBQ, chicken sausage, and today Currywurst. The photos below show the creation of today's Currywurst (the recipe at the bottom is for the original). If you are interested in the alternate recipes, let me know!



Assemble and mix the gluten powder and spices in one bowl, and the liquid ingredients in a second. Then just mix together! The consistency needs to be a bit moister than a bread dough, so you may need to add water or gluten to get it just right.



After kneading for maybe 30 seconds, you need to form a sausage type log about 8 inches across. This involves some pushing, forming and rolling. Wrap in aluminum foil snugly, but not too tight! (it could explode in the oven) I twist the ends of the foil so there is about a 1/2 inch in each end for the Wurst to expand.



Bake on a pan for 90 minutes at 325F. It's good to roll it every 30 minutes so the side touching the pan doesn't get burned. Unwrap, let cool, and slice. Use it just like a cold cut - sandwiches, crackers, mustard, etc. Guten Appetit!

Original Seitanwurst

Dry Ingredients:
1.5 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
2 tsp garlic powder

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cups water
4 TB tomato paste
1 TB tamari soy sauce
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 TB vegetarian worcestershire sauce
1/2 TB liquid smoke

Each Wurst has:
1134 calories
32g fat
63g carbs
158g protein