Smoky Vegan Seitan Bacon

I especially love meat substitutes that are actually high in protein! Yes, bacon made with rice paper, mushrooms or carrots are all brilliant ideas, but I want something that is actually hearty and will fill me up. Hence, introducing my latest creation - seitan bacon!

I am definitely a big fan of seitan here, as it makes a great meat substitute, thanks to its meat-like texture. You can use it to make everything from andouille sausages, chicken tenders to now this incredible vegan bacon.

🧄What you will need

For seitan bacon

For marinade

📃Notes/substitutions

• Vital wheat gluten - Gives vegan bacon its meaty texture. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE this with other kinds of flour.
• Whole wheat flour - Can be substituted with all purpose or chickpea flour.
• Soy sauce - Tamari can be used in place. You can also use reduced sodium ones to keep this recipe low sodium.
• Liquid smoke - To imitate the smokiness of bacon. I definitely do not recommend skipping this one!

🔪How to make

Start by combining vital wheat gluten, whole wheat flour, nutritional yeast and other spices in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

Next, add in water, tomato paste, soy sauce and maple syrup. Mix well until a dough forms.

Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes on a wooden chopping board (or if you are lazy like me, straight in the mixing bowl 😉). It should be pretty firm and elastic after kneading.

Shape the dough into a square and loosely wrap it in foil. Steam it for 30 minutes in a steaming basket inserted into a pot of boiling water.

After steaming, carefully remove foil and let it cool down completely. Slice it into thin strips using a sharp knife.

Combine everything needed for the marinate in a bowl and whisk to mix. Using a pastry brush, brush on the marinade on both sides.

Now, you can either pan-fry or bake your seitan bacon -

To pan-fry: Heat up a small amount of oil in a non-stick pan. Place 4-5 slices of bacon in the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each sides, or until both sides are nicely charred. Repeat for the remaining slices.

To bake: Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Place vegan bacon slices in one layer on a lined baking rack. Place rack at the uppermost layer of the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, before flipping over and baking for another 8-10 minutes on the other side.

✔Helpful tips

• Remember to wrap bacon dough loosely in foil. It will expand upon steaming!
• Depending on your strength, you will have to knead dough for 6-8 minutes. You will know that it is done kneading when dough is firm to the touch and bounce back when it is slightly stretched. For this recipe, you actually want seitan to be tough and chewy, so it shouldn't be a problem if you knead it for a little too long!
• Let seitan bacon cool down completely after steaming before slicing. It will firms up as it cools, hence making vegan bacon easier to be sliced. A sharp knife will also help!

🥪How to serve

This seitan bacon is seriously super versatile, and there are literally hundreds of ways to serve it!

Make yourself some vegan English breakfast by serving it with some vegan Italian sausages, tofu scramble, baked beans and toast.

You can also use it to stuff sandwiches along with lettuce and tomato to make vegan BLT sandwiches. Seitan bacon can also be used to stuff burritos too!

For a light meal, serve a few slices of it along with some salad greens and your favorite salad dressing. (I especially love this creamy Italian dressing.) It also works great as a topping for heartier salads like this vegan rice salad or this creamy protein pasta salad.

Lastly, you can chop vegan bacon up and throw them into casseroles or pasta dishes to bump up the protein and add some flavor to your meal!