On Tue, 16 Sep 1997 10:45:58 -0500 bevku@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> The process involves using whole wheat and water, allowing the starch
> and bran to rise to the top of the bowl and discarding it.
>
> Repeat. Repeat. Repeat . . .until all that's left is a glob of wheat
> protein.
>
> I did it: once.
>
> It cost about three times the cost of a box of Quick Mix and came out
> exactly the same.
Hmmm. I found it cheaper than the mixes. What I do is make a dough
out of flour and water and knead to develop the gluten. Then, under
running water (and perhaps a bowl), continue kneading until it is the
consistency desired and is basically a big rubber ball of protein. The
basic idea here is that the carbohydrates are soluble, but the
developed proteins aren't, so they will wash out and leave just the
protein. I don't know if you pre-kneaded, but perhaps you had a high
loss of proteins because you didn't knead to the dough stage or well
enough first?
That said, even though it is cheaper, I prefer to use gluten powder (less
expensive than the boxed mix) instead of making it from wheat flour
because then spices can be added to the dry mix and the resulting
seitan is more flavorful.
--
Michelle Dick artemis@xxxxxxxxx East Palo Alto, CA
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