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If you're looking for a flavorful, yet simple recipe for ham from washed flour, look no further! No need to worry about achieving the perfect oven temperature, frying or making a broth, because this seitan is cooked by wrapping and steaming. Slices up perfectly for sandwiches, too!

Recipe should yield a little more than 1lb/455g of ham.

Ingredients

Washing
 1 kg bread flour (approximately 7 1/4 cups)If using all purpose flour, add another 140g/1 cup
 690 ml water (3 cups) You may not need all of this, but if using AP flour you may need a little more.
 a few drops of vegan red food coloring or 1/2T beetroot powder (optional)
Seasoning Paste
 1 tbsp light brown sugar
 2 ½ tsp onion powder
 1 ½ tsp smoked torula yeast The flavor of this ingredient really comes through to make it taste hammy, so it is highly recommended. If you can't get it you can try subbing 2 tsp nutritional yeast and a little extra liquid smoke.
 1 tsp garlic powder
 1 tsp salt
 ½ tsp ground mustard
 ½ tsp ground ginger
 ½ tsp MSG(optional)
  tsp white pepper
 1 tbsp red miso paste
 1 tbsp vegan Worcesterchire sauceI prefer this recipe but store-bought works, too.
 2 tsp liquid hickory smoke

Directions

1

I began by adding a few drops of red food coloring to the 3 cups of water.* Start by adding about 2 1/2 cups of water and mix it into your flour. If it's not forming into a dough, add a little more. It's easier to wash if it's a little bit sticky as opposed to dry and crumbly, but too much water can make it fall apart when washing. Make sure the water is fully incorporated. You can either knead it into a ball or simply let it rest in the bowl like this for 15 minutes. Then cover it with cool water and let it rest again for about an hour.

*You can whisk beetroot powder into your flour if you prefer, or add it into your spice paste, though it may turn a little brown during steaming.

2

Wash that flour! If you're new to flour-washing, check out this step-by-step tutorial here. For this I washed to the cloudy water stage. I try to wash as much starch out as I can because I want the texture for this to be meaty, but washing to clear water could make it a bit rubbery.

3

Once washed, drain your ball of gluten for about 20-30 minutes. While it's draining, add all of the seasoning ingredients into a small bowl and mix them together into a paste. Wring out your gluten to remove as much excess water as possible. After doing this mine weighed 475g, or just a little over a pound.

4

Add your gluten and seasoning paste to the food processor and blitz until it's fully mixed. If you don't have one you can also use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut in seasonings by hand. Place the mixture on a cutting board with grooves or in a place it can drain a little more and let it rest like this for about an hour.

5

For steaming you can use an Instant Pot fitted with the trivet or a pot on the stove with a vegetable steamer basket and lid. Add water until it sits just below the top of the trivet or basket, and if using the stove-top method get it going on medium/high.

6

When the seitan is ready it should be strong enough to stretch without breaking. Shape it into a ball and flatten a little bit to make it more rectangular. Use aluminum foil or muslin/cheesecloth to wrap it like a package. You want it to be wrapped pretty tight so it doesn't have much room to expand. Place it in the Instant Pot and set to manual/high for 1 hour, or steam for one hour. When steaming, check it halfway through to make sure there's enough water in the pot.

7

The seitan should feel firm once cooked. Keeping it wrapped, let it come to room temperature. Then, let it rest in the fridge for about 8 hours or overnight. It will continue to firm up as it rests.

Don't forget to save that starch! You can use it to make the perfect cheese to go with this sandwich!


More Ham & Deli-Style Recipes

Vegan Porq BrisketBy bigassveganSeitan on steroids? Vegans and omnivores alike can't believe this is seitan... but IT IS. And, like most homemade seitans, it is inexpensive and good for you (well, unless you are gluten intolerant 😣). Most of the ingredients you probably already have, and those you do not, I highly urge you to get, as they will up your seitan game, and you will use them onward and often, for sure! The visual of this Vegan Pork Brisket is everything and is for sure to be a show stopper on any mezze plate. It is unbelievable in various appetizers, puff pastries, in sandwiches, pasta dishes, etc.
Vegan hard boiled EGGBy bigassveganNo one would ever know. How would they know? Try out these vegan hard-boiled eggs, yourself, and on your friends, and see them in disbelief. Can even tell them it's the 2022 Met Gala (for real, vegan boiled eggs were served!), and get fancy with it! Get jiggy with it! Use them for your deviled egg needs, add in seitan sandwiches, on maze plates... endless possibilities.
Prosciutto deli slicesBy bigassveganSo happy with this Italian Prosciutto Crudo! It’s perfectly chewy, salty, with just a hint of sweetness, savory, very meaty... and perfectly captures that unsmoked, uncooked, dry-cured prosciutto taste we all know and love. The two different reds up it visually, and the washed flour “fatty” parts perfectly capture the chewier texture and elasticity of fat, giving it a different feel when eaten. It’s freakishly realistic and it may freak/gross out some people (It completely did me! 🙈). This recipe incorporates VWG and a little WTF. Both are very novice-friendly, and good ways to get into these two ways of seitan making, while also creating something amazing along the way. I highly recommend it!
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Ingredients

Washing
 1 kg bread flour (approximately 7 1/4 cups)If using all purpose flour, add another 140g/1 cup
 690 ml water (3 cups) You may not need all of this, but if using AP flour you may need a little more.
 a few drops of vegan red food coloring or 1/2T beetroot powder (optional)
Seasoning Paste
 1 tbsp light brown sugar
 2 ½ tsp onion powder
 1 ½ tsp smoked torula yeast The flavor of this ingredient really comes through to make it taste hammy, so it is highly recommended. If you can't get it you can try subbing 2 tsp nutritional yeast and a little extra liquid smoke.
 1 tsp garlic powder
 1 tsp salt
 ½ tsp ground mustard
 ½ tsp ground ginger
 ½ tsp MSG(optional)
  tsp white pepper
 1 tbsp red miso paste
 1 tbsp vegan Worcesterchire sauceI prefer this recipe but store-bought works, too.
 2 tsp liquid hickory smoke

Directions

1

I began by adding a few drops of red food coloring to the 3 cups of water.* Start by adding about 2 1/2 cups of water and mix it into your flour. If it's not forming into a dough, add a little more. It's easier to wash if it's a little bit sticky as opposed to dry and crumbly, but too much water can make it fall apart when washing. Make sure the water is fully incorporated. You can either knead it into a ball or simply let it rest in the bowl like this for 15 minutes. Then cover it with cool water and let it rest again for about an hour.

*You can whisk beetroot powder into your flour if you prefer, or add it into your spice paste, though it may turn a little brown during steaming.

2

Wash that flour! If you're new to flour-washing, check out this step-by-step tutorial here. For this I washed to the cloudy water stage. I try to wash as much starch out as I can because I want the texture for this to be meaty, but washing to clear water could make it a bit rubbery.

3

Once washed, drain your ball of gluten for about 20-30 minutes. While it's draining, add all of the seasoning ingredients into a small bowl and mix them together into a paste. Wring out your gluten to remove as much excess water as possible. After doing this mine weighed 475g, or just a little over a pound.

4

Add your gluten and seasoning paste to the food processor and blitz until it's fully mixed. If you don't have one you can also use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut in seasonings by hand. Place the mixture on a cutting board with grooves or in a place it can drain a little more and let it rest like this for about an hour.

5

For steaming you can use an Instant Pot fitted with the trivet or a pot on the stove with a vegetable steamer basket and lid. Add water until it sits just below the top of the trivet or basket, and if using the stove-top method get it going on medium/high.

6

When the seitan is ready it should be strong enough to stretch without breaking. Shape it into a ball and flatten a little bit to make it more rectangular. Use aluminum foil or muslin/cheesecloth to wrap it like a package. You want it to be wrapped pretty tight so it doesn't have much room to expand. Place it in the Instant Pot and set to manual/high for 1 hour, or steam for one hour. When steaming, check it halfway through to make sure there's enough water in the pot.

7

The seitan should feel firm once cooked. Keeping it wrapped, let it come to room temperature. Then, let it rest in the fridge for about 8 hours or overnight. It will continue to firm up as it rests.

Don't forget to save that starch! You can use it to make the perfect cheese to go with this sandwich!

Vegan Deli-Style Ham | Washed Flour Seitan