Pepperoni Seitan

A few weeks ago (on July 4th, to be precise-- was that really over a month ago?) I made my first batch of seitan. The boiled stuff never sounded particularly appealing to me, so I decided to make Lachesis's baked seitan with pepperoni-esque seasonings. Now I'm wondering why it took me so long to make this. It was really, really, really good! I thought it might taste like pepperoni bread, but it didn't-- the texture is completely different without being too meaty.

The spices I used were a sort of mishmash from a bunch of recipes I'd seen floating around the net. I know I was inspired by SusanV's Veggeroni and another recipe that I can't for the life of me remember.

This made a pleasantly spiced-- but not spicy-- seitan. Obviously the spice possibilities are endless!

Pepperoni Seitan

1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp hot smoked paprika

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp mustard seeds (I used black, because that's what I had)

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 large cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup cold water

4 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

2 tbsp tahini (or peanut butter)

2 tbsp bbq sauce

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and knead for five minutes. Shape the dough into a sausage-like log, and wrap completely in foil. Twist the foil at the ends. The foil should be snug, but not skin-tight around the seitan, as it will expand during baking.

Place the log directly on the oven rack and bake for approximately 75 minutes. When it's done, unwrap and let cool.

Enjoy!