Seitan 'Bacon' Sandwich

Seitan ‘Bacon’

Hoorah for bacon! This isn’t a starter bake for sure but it is a hugely rewarding one. Before you have a go at this, read through the instructions a couple of times. What’s actually going to happen is we’re going to make two doughs and layer them up then stick them in the oven for a bit. The fiddly bit is measuring out all of the ingredients, if you have a trusty set of measuring spoons to hand it will be a lot easier. Also, it may seem like a lot of ingredients to buy, but you’ll not have to replace them often. The gluten gets used up faster than any other ingredient so it’s worth buying it by the kilo at least, our local Wholefoods shop all know us personally as regulars!

Seitan Bacon is one of the greatest things we discovered after going vegan.  This beats anything you can buy on the shelves hands down and you can make it yourself. Let that sink in for a moment….

The recipe is for smokey, streaky bacon that slices into perfect, layered rashers and fries up a treat!

Some recipes call for a little adjustment here or there, we have experimented a lot with this and if you follow this to the letter you should have outstanding results. It’s worth noting that the ‘red’ layer should be moist and doughy in texture and a little grainy, and the ‘white’ layer will feel really slimy as you’re working with it. This is exactly how they are supposed to feel, so don’t worry, it’s going to OK. It might seem like quite a lot of work, but it is easier than you think once you get the hang of it. BLT is back on the menu with a vengeance baby!

Seitan bacon equipment

Here’s the equipment you’ll need, I refer to this as your bacon kit. Go and collect all of the things then keep them together, this is your tool kit for making the bacon!

 

Seitan 'Bacon' Sandwich

Seitan 'Bacon'

Streaky, smokey rashers of mouth watering bacony joy x
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Main Meals, Snacks, Breakfasts
Cuisine: Vegan, English
Servings: 30 slices
Author: Paul

Ingredients

Your bacon equipment kit

  • 1 hand blender
  • 2 measuring jugs using ml
  • 2 900g loaf tins rectangular ones
  • 2 large mixing bowls 2 different colours helps!
  • 2 wooden spoons
  • 1 roll baking parchment
  • 1 digital scales
  • 1 large high sided roasting tin big enough to fit both loaf tins side by side with a little gap

Red dough dry ingredients

  • 240 g wheat gluten
  • 8 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 4 tsp onion granules
  • 3 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Red dough wet ingredients

  • 240 ml cold water
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp liquid aminos
  • 2 tbsp worcester sauce
  • 2 tbsp red miso paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

White dough dry ingredients

  • 160 g wheat gluten
  • 4 tbsp plain white flour
  • 4 tsp garlic powder
  • pinch salt

White dough wet ingredients

  • 320 ml cold water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Red dough

  • Making the red dough
    Red seitan dough
  • Add all of the dry ingredients to one of the mixing bowls. Combine with a spoon until the colour and texture is uniform.
  • Now add all of the wet ingredients to the jug with the 240ml of water in it. Use the hand blender and mix until the colour and texture are a luscious deep reddy/brown and smooth.
  • Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients then pour the wet ingredients in.
  • Mix it all up with the wooden spoon until you have formed a uniform looking dough.

White dough

  • Making the white dough
    White seitan dough
  • Add all of the dry ingredients to one of the mixing bowls. Combine with a spoon until the colour and texture is uniform.
  • Add the oil and water together then use the hand blender to combine till smooth.
  • Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients then pour the wet ingredients in.
  • Mix it all up with the wooden spoon until you have formed a uniform looking dough.
  • If you have a food processor then pop the dough in two batches in to it and use the plastic blade on full for a few minutes (give it time to cool down in between blitzes as I have killed them before with over work!). The dough will take on a much firmer consistency.

Layering your bacon

  • Clear the work surface then kneed and fold the red dough until you achieve a bouncy texture.
  • Split into six equal parts then form into slabs as big as the base of your loaf tins.
  • Wipe down the work surface then repeat with the white dough. The white dough will be a lot wetter this is normal! Make the slabs the same size as the red dough slabs.
  • Now layer up a loaf red, white, red, white, red white. Repeat for the second loaf.
    Layered seitan bacon doughs
  • Place both loaves in to the tins then flatten out with your hand until they reach the edges of the tins.
    Seitan bacon in tins
  • Cover each tin with a piece of baking parchment and tie with string to hold in place. Make sure you make a good seal around the top of each loaf.
    Seitan bacon with baking parchment lids
  • Place both tins in to the roasting dish, then half fill dish with with boiling water.
  • Bake for 45 minutes at 200 °C fan assisted or 220 °C regular.
  • Remove both loaves carefully from the tins, turn them upside down then replace them in the tins and cover again. Top up the boiling water and return to the oven for a further 30minutes.
  • Now place them on a wire rack to cool down for half an hour.
    Cooked seitan bacon on drying rack
  • You can freeze one of the loaves at this point for later consumption, in our experience though it's better to just keep it in the fridge as the first loaf disappears pretty quickly! I can get around 20 slices out of one loaf but choose your own thickness and enjoy!
    Sliced seitan bacon
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.