Faux spicy Country Sausage
1 and 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup vegan chicken style stock powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 to 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup water or veggie stock
2 cap-fulls of liquid smoke
1 tablespoons olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add the gluten, stock powder, nutritional yeast, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
3. To a smaller bowl, add the water, oil and liquid smoke.
4. Pour the wet into the dry and and stir quickly; the gluten seizes up fast. Turn out onto a flat surface and knead for about three minutes.
5. Shape the dough into a log. Oil a large piece of foil and roll the log in it. Twist the ends closed.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 90 minutes.
7. When done, remove the foil, cool completely and store in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Slice off what you need.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
what is TVP? and in what form can i expect to find gluten? is it powder, or a solid block like tofu?
I make something similar -- as does everybody who's seen the "Seitan o' Greatness" -- and I have a few tips.
Spin the loaf 1/3 or 1/4 turn on its axis every 20-30 minutes or you can get a hard, inedible crust on the bottom.
Smoked paprika (also called "fancy paprika," officially "Pimenton de la Vera") is a fantastic substitute for liquid smoke.
If it's too firm, add a little baking powder to the mix. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon makes for a very fluffy loaf.
I've had pretty good luck adding a half cup of TVP or TSP to the mix. Gives it some interesting texture.