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This vegan seitan prosciutto is just like I remember the real thing. It's salty, savory, and even a little bit funky. It's simple, yet elegant enough for your next charcuterie, or wrapped around your favorite fruits or veggies.

Vegan Prosciutto | Washed Flour Seitan
I want to start by saying a few quick things about this recipe:
First - it's salty.
I wanted it to be as close to prosciutto as I remember, and when testing it on the omnis, the response was most often: "Needs more salt."

Second - it's chewy.
I needed to wash out as much starch as possible until the dough was a bit rubbery in order for this to work. Prosciutto is typically sliced very thin because it has a tougher and chewier texture if cut thick. So, if you have a slicer, or a mandoline, or mad knife skills, forge ahead! And if you don't but still really want to try this, I might recommend washing a little less than the recipe calls for.

Now for the story:
I don't normally tell stories about my recipes, but this one took me on quite a journey. I figured I was super close to nailing it a couple months ago. I was doing my testing on half-sized batches and as soon as I doubled it, it failed. Miserably! I started again from the ground up. Not once, not twice, but like, 15 times. I went through a whole series of exploration that included different ingredients and different cooking methods. (I learned A LOT!) I preferred the texture from steaming, but struggled to get the flavor I got from simmering.

After I got to something I was happy with, I started eliminating ingredients. I really wanted this to be an easy-to-achieve recipe without the laundry list. In the end, even the omnis agree this one has the texture, the saltiness, and enough background flavor to make it a little bit hammy and a little bit funky, like prosciutto. I hope you agree, too!



Ingredients

Red Dough Ball (Meat)
 6 cups flour derived from wheat (900g)*I used bread flour which has 12.7% protein. If using flour with less than 12%, add another 1/2-1 cup. I do not recommend using flour with less than 10%.
 2-3 cups water
 a few drops of vegan red food dye, if usingRed 40 is inexpensive and vegan. Red yeast rice or beet root powder can be added to your dry seasoning instead.
White Dough Ball (Fat)
 2 cups flour derived from wheat (300g)*I used bread flour which has 12.7% protein. If using flour with less than 12%, add another 1/8-1/4 cup. I do not recommend using flour with less than 10%.
 3/4-1 cup water
Seasoning Paste for Meaty Part
 3 tbsp grated shallot (started with a shallot that weighed about 75g, but there was some skin left behind)*I used the fine holes on a cheese grater to extract the pulp from it and break down the skin as much as possible.
 3 large or 4 small finely-minced garlic cloves
 ¼ cup vegan red wine
 2 tbsp red miso pastelinked here but you should be able to find this much cheaper at your local Asian or health food market
 2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce I love this recipe but store-bought works, too.
 1 tsp packed light brown sugar
 3-4 sprigs of fresh thymeYou can try 1/2 tsp of dried thyme instead, though you will see the leaves in your final result if that is important to you.
 2 bay leaves
Dry Seasoning for Meaty Part
 2 tsp salt
 1 ½ tsp mushroom powderI make this by grinding dried porcini mushrooms. Shiitaki work well, too.
 ½ tsp MSG**optional
 ¼ tsp ground white pepper
 ⅛ tsp ground allspice
Dry Seasoning for Fatty Part
 ½ tsp salt
 ¼ tsp garlic powder
 ¼ tsp onion powder
 ¼ tsp MSG**optional
Oil for Brushing
Infused Oil
This is not a necessary component, but it does put this prosciutto over-the-top! Also tastes great as a dipping for bread, or drizzled over a salad or pasta.

• 1/2c olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1/2T peppercorns
• 1/2t crushed juniper berries
• 1/4t allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4t nutmeg

Bring the oil up to a boil and then reduce to low heat and cook until the garlic is just starting to brown, being careful not to burn it. Let the oil come to room temperature and transfer to a bottle with funnel or strain. Use right away or store it in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week.

Directions

1

I'm starting with water dyed with vegan red food coloring to form the dough ball for the "meaty" part. If you prefer to use beet root powder or red yeast rice powder, you can opt to add it in while seasoning the dough ball instead. This way you only need to wash one!

If you're using the red dye, mix about 2 cups of red water into your 6 cups of flour and have about another 1/2-1 cup reserved to add as you go.

2

For the "fatty" part, mix 2 cups of bread flour with about 3/4 cup of water, and again, add a little more if you need it as you mix.

3

Let your dough ball(s) rest for at least 1 hour. You can either cover them with cool water (which you can use in your first wash) or cover with a damp cloth.

4

While your dough balls are resting, add all of the seasoning paste ingredients to a small pot, stir to mix, and bring it to a boil. Then lower it to a simmer and cook it down, stirring more frequently as the moisture evaporates so it doesn't burn. You want it to look like sludge/wet paste when it's done. Set it aside and it will continue to thicken as it cools.

5

Wash these dough balls very thoroughly. You don't normally want rubbery seitan, but if you can recall the texture of prosciutto, it is very tough and chewy, which is why it's always sliced so thin. I didn't let my water go completely clear, but it was barely hazy.

If you're new to washing flour, check out my step-by-step tutorial here.

Making this for a charcuterie board? Save your starch and make some awesome cheese to go with it!

6

Once washed, drain your dough balls for about 20-30 minutes. Wring them out to remove as much excess water as possible. Pop your "fatty" dough ball into a food processor and add the dry seasonings. Blitz until it's all incorporated. Alternatively, you can use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the seasoning into the dough. Let it rest and move onto the the "meaty" dough ball.

7

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems from the cooled seasoning paste. Add it to the food processor (or cut in seasonings by hand) along with the red dough ball and the dry seasonings for the "meaty" bit. Process and let it rest.

8

I found it's easiest to begin making my layers of red and white while the gluten is still soft and not stretchy yet. I use a little more red than white for each layer, spreading them out as much as possible until both are used up. Let the dough rest this way for about an hour.

9

How intricate you get with the layers is up to you. After an hour of resting, my gluten felt stronger, but still a little too weak to stretch very far without breaking. I folded it in half and let it rest again. After about another hour it seemed pretty stretchy, but I folded it again and let it rest even more.

10

Once your dough is strong enough to stretch and you're happy with the layers, get your steaming apparatus ready. Wrap your dough pretty tight like a sausage, twisting at the ends, (I used foil, but if you don't like to use that you can use parchment paper and then foil, or cheesecloth) but press down to flatten it out a bit to make it easier to slice.

11

Steam it for about an hour. It should feel firm when it's done. I usually leave it sitting in the steamer until it comes to room temperature, and then store it in the fridge (still wrapped) overnight.

12

The next day, slice your prosciutto as thinly as possible. You will find it to be rubbery if you leave it too thick. I am fortunate enough to have a slicer, but this will slice well with a mandoline, also. Or if you have mad knife skills, more power to you!

13

Brush each slice with a little bit of oil. I like olive oil but it does impart a strong flavor, so use any you prefer. It will add a glossy finish that's perfect for your charcuterie board, and will also help it crisp around the edges if wrapping around asparagus, or topping on a pizza. Make the bonus infused oil recipe for an even stronger flavor punch!

*I noticed on recent experimentations with washing flour that either it's me, or my measuring cups, (or both), but when I dip that cup into the flour and sweep to level it off, I most often get close to 150g, instead of the standard flour cup weight of 125g. I am still using the standard 1 cup water/240mL.

A note about the shallots - I tried mincing them first, but the pieces of skin stayed in tact and left little holes in my seitan. This didn’t affect the flavor, but using the grated shallot "pulp" made the consistency more even.

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Ingredients

Red Dough Ball (Meat)
 6 cups flour derived from wheat (900g)*I used bread flour which has 12.7% protein. If using flour with less than 12%, add another 1/2-1 cup. I do not recommend using flour with less than 10%.
 2-3 cups water
 a few drops of vegan red food dye, if usingRed 40 is inexpensive and vegan. Red yeast rice or beet root powder can be added to your dry seasoning instead.
White Dough Ball (Fat)
 2 cups flour derived from wheat (300g)*I used bread flour which has 12.7% protein. If using flour with less than 12%, add another 1/8-1/4 cup. I do not recommend using flour with less than 10%.
 3/4-1 cup water
Seasoning Paste for Meaty Part
 3 tbsp grated shallot (started with a shallot that weighed about 75g, but there was some skin left behind)*I used the fine holes on a cheese grater to extract the pulp from it and break down the skin as much as possible.
 3 large or 4 small finely-minced garlic cloves
 ¼ cup vegan red wine
 2 tbsp red miso pastelinked here but you should be able to find this much cheaper at your local Asian or health food market
 2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce I love this recipe but store-bought works, too.
 1 tsp packed light brown sugar
 3-4 sprigs of fresh thymeYou can try 1/2 tsp of dried thyme instead, though you will see the leaves in your final result if that is important to you.
 2 bay leaves
Dry Seasoning for Meaty Part
 2 tsp salt
 1 ½ tsp mushroom powderI make this by grinding dried porcini mushrooms. Shiitaki work well, too.
 ½ tsp MSG**optional
 ¼ tsp ground white pepper
 ⅛ tsp ground allspice
Dry Seasoning for Fatty Part
 ½ tsp salt
 ¼ tsp garlic powder
 ¼ tsp onion powder
 ¼ tsp MSG**optional
Oil for Brushing

Directions

1

I'm starting with water dyed with vegan red food coloring to form the dough ball for the "meaty" part. If you prefer to use beet root powder or red yeast rice powder, you can opt to add it in while seasoning the dough ball instead. This way you only need to wash one!

If you're using the red dye, mix about 2 cups of red water into your 6 cups of flour and have about another 1/2-1 cup reserved to add as you go.

2

For the "fatty" part, mix 2 cups of bread flour with about 3/4 cup of water, and again, add a little more if you need it as you mix.

3

Let your dough ball(s) rest for at least 1 hour. You can either cover them with cool water (which you can use in your first wash) or cover with a damp cloth.

4

While your dough balls are resting, add all of the seasoning paste ingredients to a small pot, stir to mix, and bring it to a boil. Then lower it to a simmer and cook it down, stirring more frequently as the moisture evaporates so it doesn't burn. You want it to look like sludge/wet paste when it's done. Set it aside and it will continue to thicken as it cools.

5

Wash these dough balls very thoroughly. You don't normally want rubbery seitan, but if you can recall the texture of prosciutto, it is very tough and chewy, which is why it's always sliced so thin. I didn't let my water go completely clear, but it was barely hazy.

If you're new to washing flour, check out my step-by-step tutorial here.

Making this for a charcuterie board? Save your starch and make some awesome cheese to go with it!

6

Once washed, drain your dough balls for about 20-30 minutes. Wring them out to remove as much excess water as possible. Pop your "fatty" dough ball into a food processor and add the dry seasonings. Blitz until it's all incorporated. Alternatively, you can use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the seasoning into the dough. Let it rest and move onto the the "meaty" dough ball.

7

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems from the cooled seasoning paste. Add it to the food processor (or cut in seasonings by hand) along with the red dough ball and the dry seasonings for the "meaty" bit. Process and let it rest.

8

I found it's easiest to begin making my layers of red and white while the gluten is still soft and not stretchy yet. I use a little more red than white for each layer, spreading them out as much as possible until both are used up. Let the dough rest this way for about an hour.

9

How intricate you get with the layers is up to you. After an hour of resting, my gluten felt stronger, but still a little too weak to stretch very far without breaking. I folded it in half and let it rest again. After about another hour it seemed pretty stretchy, but I folded it again and let it rest even more.

10

Once your dough is strong enough to stretch and you're happy with the layers, get your steaming apparatus ready. Wrap your dough pretty tight like a sausage, twisting at the ends, (I used foil, but if you don't like to use that you can use parchment paper and then foil, or cheesecloth) but press down to flatten it out a bit to make it easier to slice.

11

Steam it for about an hour. It should feel firm when it's done. I usually leave it sitting in the steamer until it comes to room temperature, and then store it in the fridge (still wrapped) overnight.

12

The next day, slice your prosciutto as thinly as possible. You will find it to be rubbery if you leave it too thick. I am fortunate enough to have a slicer, but this will slice well with a mandoline, also. Or if you have mad knife skills, more power to you!

13

Brush each slice with a little bit of oil. I like olive oil but it does impart a strong flavor, so use any you prefer. It will add a glossy finish that's perfect for your charcuterie board, and will also help it crisp around the edges if wrapping around asparagus, or topping on a pizza. Make the bonus infused oil recipe for an even stronger flavor punch!

Vegan Prosciutto | Washed Flour Seitan
IngredientsDirections