Best seitan yet

I'm reminded of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears where, common to all things she tries after entering the bears' home was that the first two were always extreme opposites but the third thing was always just right.

My first batch of seitan was too spongy and fluffy. My second batch was a little too chewy. But aahhh.... this third batch of seitan is juuuust riiiight.

I used 2 cups worth of vital wheat gluten, as always. To that I added about 2 tablespoons of a dried Italian herbs mix. It's got all the basics: oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, savory, marjoram.... Also added were 2 tablespoons of garlic powder and dehydrated chopped onions, about 2 tablespoons. Liquid smoke went into the mix as well, the equivalent of... oh, about 2 tablespoons. I guess it was '2 tablespoons' day. I started the mixer with the dough hook attached and, while still running, added vegetable broth a little at a time until the mixture achieved elastic dough consistency and it started pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Let it knead for around 5 or 10 min. and it was ready to boil.

This time I decided to slice some of the dough, and cut the rest into small chunks.

This time I didn't do two kneadings with a resting period in between. I just did a longer, single kneading, mostly with the mixer but also finishing up with some kneading by hand.  Between the liquid smoke and the great herb mix, this batch smelled great even before it was cooked.

For the boiling, this time I used 6 cups of water with soy sauce, liquid smoke, and about a teaspoon of molasses, simmered for about 1 hour.

And voila, my best seitan yet:

I tasted a little piece and it has the best flavor of the three batches I've made to date.  The texture also isn't too gummy, but not as spongy and fluffy as my first batch. It's a nice compromise.

It almost looks like meat, doesn't it. ;-)