- 2 cups gluten flour
- 1 recipe Spicy Seasoning Blend (recipe follows)
- ½ cup canola oil or sesame oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 recipe Basic Broth (recipe follows)
- 4 teaspoons canola oil or sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoons garlic granules
- 1½ teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon fennel
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon sage
- 3/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 4 cups water
- ¼-½ cup natural soy sauce (use ½ cup for stronger flavor)
- 3-inch piece kombu
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the gluten flour and Spicy Seasoning Blend. Drizzle ½ cup of oil over the surface of the seasoned flour and mix well with a fork. Slowly pour the water over this mixture while stirring rapidly until the gluten dough is moist. Knead well to blend the seasonings.
- Divide the gluten into 4 pieces, rolling each piece into an 8- to 9-inch-long “rope.”
- Flatten, then roll each “rope” into a long cylinder. To maintain this shape during the cooking stage, wrap cotton string in a spiral fashion around each cylinder.
- In a heavy, flame-and ovenproof casserole with a lid, heat the Basic Broth on the stovetop until the broth begins to boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the gluten, and summer 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole dish to the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 275°F, and continue to oven-braise the gluten, turning the links every 20 minutes until most of the broth has been absorbed (45-60 minutes). When you ave turned the links for the last time, drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil over each.
- Uncover and bake the sausages, turning them every minutes for even browning. Very little broth should remain.
- Remove the dish from the oven and allow the seitan to cool completely before carefully removing the string.
- Enjoy as you would any sausage.
- Variation:
- For hickory sausage, add 2 teaspoons of liquid hickory-smoke flavoring to the Basic Broth. This natural flavoring is found in natural foods stores and most supermarkets.
- If a less salty or unsalted seitan is required, omit part or all of the soy sauce in the broth and use only the kombu and a few slices of ginger.