Okay, you wormed it out of me. I was going to make this again just to tweak the seasonings a little, but with so many of you writing to tell me that you just have to have the recipe now, I’ve decided to post it here and let you do the experimenting with it. (I’ve moved on to veggie bologna!)
But first a warning: I haven’t had real pepperoni since before some of you were born, so I could be way off on the flavoring. Feel free to do the experimenting that I haven’t had time for.
If you’ve got a copy of Vegan Vittles, Joanne Stepaniak has a pepperoni version that I didn’t see before creating this one and it might be better (though she probably hasn’t had pepperoni any more recently than I have.) I have to say that I really liked how this came out, whether it tastes like the real thing or not.
And an apology to my gluten-free friends: There’s not much you can do to convert a recipe that is gluten. I’ve thought about experimenting with marinated, baked tofu, but I haven’t gotten around to that. If anyone tries it, please drop me a comment about how it turns out.
Veggeroni (Seitan Pepperoni)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more for spicier pepperoni)
- 3/4 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Wet ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter (may substitute peanut butter or tahini)
- 2/3 cup water
- 4 tablespoons ketchup or tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar (optional, but definitely use if you use tomato sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Put the cashew butter in a smaller bowl, and slowly mix in the water. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the small bowl and blend well.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry, stirring well (use your hands if necessary). Remove from the bowl and knead for a few minutes, making sure ingredients are distributed well.
- Roll into a log shape, about 7 inches long. Place the log on foil and roll it up in the foil, twisting the ends to seal. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning over after 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and unwrap to cool. Slice as needed and store leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
SusanV
Comments posted before the blog was moved:
Just call me Orangie said…
How can it have trace cholesterol when only animal products contain cholesterol?
2:12 PM, April 04, 2007
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Good-Dees said…
I made Vegan Vittles Pastrami recipe this weekend with the same process as you did the pepperoni! Some tweeking needs to be just done for personal taste, but the process was extremely easy and not as messy as boiling the seitan…oh and extremely yummy.
But unlike you, I’m too lazy to blog about it 🙂
2:35 PM, April 04, 2007
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SusanV said…
Orangie, I just checked and my recipe program is wrongly saying that Liquid Smoke has a trace of cholesterol. I’ve checked, and it uses no animal products and is completely vegan, so it’s just a problem with the software. I’m going to correct the nutritional info now. Thanks for pointing it out.
Good-dees, it really is an easy way to make seitan, isn’t it?
3:07 PM, April 04, 2007
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Speedwell said…
many thanks… 🙂
I just picked up a copy of Vegan Vittles. ONLY THE FIRST EDITION HAS THE RECIPE. The second edition, while yummy, DOES NOT HAVE THE RECIPE. Many sellers still have a copy of the now out-of-print first edition, since the second edition is so new. If you want it, better get it now.
5:45 PM, April 04, 2007
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funwithyourfood said…
I love how you can see the little specks of spices in there!
6:52 PM, April 04, 2007
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Emmie said…
I’m SO trying that! Pepperoni is one of those things I’ve just been missing like crazy. It’s such a special thing. Wohoo!
11:43 PM, April 04, 2007
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bazu said…
Susan, I’m so excited about this recipe. I was going to make it yesterday as soon as you posted it, but I don’t have liquid smoke on hand. I’m going to get it and make veganroni today or tomorrow. I’ll definitely let you know how it goes- thanks so much for this recipe!
2:48 PM, April 05, 2007
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Kris said…
Ooh, I just made the seitan o greatness recently, now I definitely have to try this! I’m just salivating over the combination of spices!
4:49 PM, April 05, 2007
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Alexandra said…
I am so glad you posted your recipe. Toaster oven idea is great for a single recipe.In alternative, make up several batches, perhaps flavoured differently, and freeze what’s not immediately needed. I would love to see other flavours, such as breakfast sausage/Italian sausage, which I have been unable to perfect.
5:22 PM, April 05, 2007
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Berrykat said…
I didn’t have fennel or liquid smoke but enjoyed it anyway.
6:57 PM, April 05, 2007
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iry said…
I stumble upon your blog and I just want to say that your recipes really sound delicious especially with the photo on it. 🙂
iry
http://www.mydarkcirclesblog.com
9:24 PM, April 05, 2007
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Ariel said…
Veggie bologna? Oh please please please post the recipe when you’ve got it… sad to say, bologna is one of the things I miss. I didn’t eat it very often – maybe twice a year, but I liked to have it once in a while. I buy the tofurkey slices and the other deli “meats”, and would love to make them myself.
2:38 PM, April 06, 2007
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vegan-o-rama said…
Hi Susan! I’m British and I love your blog, I think you’re just brilliant! We Brits have different words for different food products, cilantro is coriander, zuchinni’s are courgettes blah blah. I just wanted to know, what do you mean when you say ‘tomato sauce’- is this tomato puree? I think you have mentioned tomato PASTE in another recipe of yours!! So, If puree is paste, then what is SAUCE!!? I thought that was it was ketchup, but because you have given an option ketchup or sauce I know that its not…Help me, I’m confused and hungry. PS. In Britain you can’t buy liquid smoke in the shops, can you think of an ingredient that would give the same flavour, or is it an indispensible ingredient? thanks 🙂
6:09 AM, April 07, 2007
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SusanV said…
Hey thanks, vegan-o-rama! Sorry about the tomato confusion. I did a little checking, and this is what I managed to put together:
PASTE, to me= PUREE, to you. Definition: “Tomato paste, which is available in cans and tubes, consists of tomatoes that have been cooked for several hours, strained and reduced to a deep red, richly flavored concentrate.”
In America, tomato PUREE consists of tomatoes that have been cooked briefly and strained, resulting in a thick liquid. Nothing is added.
Tomato SAUCE is a slightly thinner tomato purée. Seasonings and other flavorings are added so that it is ready to use in various dishes or as a base for other sauces.
KETCHUP is tomato-based, but vinegar is added to give it tang and sugar, salt, and spices contribute to the taste.
So, if you can’t find tomato sauce or ketchup, for this recipe you could use tomato puree (which is the same as our paste). That won’t work for all recipes, but since it’s such a small part of this one, it will. For saucier recipes calling for tomato sauce, the standard substitution is 3 parts puree (American paste) to 4 parts water. And you may need to increase the seasonings.
I hope that’s not as confusing as I fear it is!
As for the liquid smoke, I’m afraid the only vegetarian substitute I can think of is chipotle peppers, which add a lot of spiciness. If you can find chipotle pepper, you might use it and omit the red pepper flakes.
Or you could just leave it out. The “pepperoni” won’t be as smoky without it, but it should still taste good.
8:45 AM, April 07, 2007
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Speedwell said…
You can get a smoked salt online or in gourmet shops. This should do the trick if you use it in place of the salt in this recipe. It is widely available online; here is a random source I pulled off a Google search: http://www.halenmon.co.uk/smoked.htm
9:36 PM, April 07, 2007
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springsandwells said…
oh yay!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe Susan!
I am super excited to try it out. I don’t even know what I’ll do with a whole log of veggieroni, but I’m excited to find out!
12:38 AM, April 08, 2007
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Anonymous said…
you could probably grind up fake bacon bits in a coffee grinder until a fine powder and mix it well with the dry ingredients. 1 tbsp of the powder would probably be enough. maybe less, maybe more.
2:04 AM, April 08, 2007
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vegan-o-rama said…
I thought you may have meant PASSATA which is sieved tomatoes with no flavourings (which you’ve helpfully identified as being PUREE in American)! So, yes, thankyou for clearing this up for me! You meant like a shop bought pasta sauce 🙂 – I have only ever come across dried chipotle peppers. Would these work?
7:26 AM, April 08, 2007
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vegan-o-rama said…
cool, thanks for the tips fellow vegans- smoked salt sounds rather interesting, although I can get fake bacon bits at my local Tesco so I’ll use that wherever it says to use liquid smoke- hooray! 🙂
10:11 AM, April 08, 2007
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Johanna3 said…
great! thanks for the recipe. love the photo, looks so yummy.
6:58 AM, April 09, 2007
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Jenny said…
Made this last night and it came out really nice. I couldnt find nutritional yeast and I think that would have made it even better, but I still think its as good or better than the store bought veggie bologna and much much cheaper!
Thanks!
11:38 AM, April 09, 2007
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Anonymous said…
Made this with my son in 10 minutes and it is great! Thanks so much, SusanV. This one is a keeper. I am going to put it on pizza and dazzle my omni sister and family later this week.
11:49 AM, April 10, 2007
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Vivacious Vegan said…
I am so in love with this seitan o’ greatness recipe and I can’t wait to try your seasonings. I’ve been experimenting with the seasonings myself. It’s so simple and easy and versatile. The other day I made it into 4 smaller logs. When they were cooked, I sliced each log in half (lengthwise) and put one half onto a hot dog bun. It was a total throw back to my Wonder bread childhood.
6:56 PM, April 10, 2007
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Emmy said…
This looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m definitely putting it on my to-make list.
7:21 AM, April 12, 2007
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Sam Hartman said…
Susan, great site and great recipe! Since the new year I’ve been doing low-fat/oil-free vegan eating as a health resolution. This turned out pretty good for me, but I couldn’t get it as smooth as you did when rolling it into a cylinder.
Also, you mentioned a recipe program; what do you use and does it take into consideration the baking process and consequent loss of nutrients? Keep up the great works!
8:34 PM, April 17, 2007
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SusanV said…
Sam, I use a program called MasterCook, which is a recipe filing system. I doubt it takes into consideration the loss of nutrients during cooking, but then again, it probably doesn’t take into consideration that some nutrients are made more accessible during cooking, so perhaps it balances out in the end.
9:44 PM, April 17, 2007
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Natalia said…
Thanks so much! I’ve used the Vittles version and loved it, but I like your version better! The smoke is a great idea.
4:12 PM, April 22, 2007
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Katie said…
I am baking mine now -thanks so much for posting the recipe. I plan to make pizza tomorrow night! My house smells so good right now!
Katie
9:37 PM, April 22, 2007
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Dave said…
To vegan-o-rama
You can actually get liquid smoke in the UK. Though in some areas it seems to be more around BBQ season, so your in luck now. Check out your local big Sainsbury’s in the BBQ section and you should find it. I got the one called Old Dakota liquid smoke BBQ marinade. I use it to make my mock bacon. Good luck!
8:38 AM, May 05, 2007
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AshleyKimball said…
I LOVE this stuff! I bought some vegan pepperoni a while back, and it was the greasiest, chewiest crap ever! Your recipe, however, is perfect. Looks so authentic, too!
lol, i took a picture with it: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/bravecaspian/Photo198.jpg
11:32 AM, May 09, 2007
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teeni said…
I had made this recipe a while ago and froze it. I finally just now got to use it on some homemade pizza rolls. Just wanted to let you know I thought it was delicious, close enough to the real thing to satisfy my cravings. Thank you for sharing!
10:35 PM, June 23, 2007
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Anonymous said…
You can buy liquid smoke online in the uk if you live in the sticks like me! here is a link
http://www.barbecue-online.co.uk/acatalog/Figaro.html
11:05 AM, July 13, 2007
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Anonymous said…
Help! I know I am late to this discussion, but I am near-desperate to find out if anyone has tried baking this (or any version of the Recipe O’ Greatness) in a snug-fitting, covered glass dish, WITHOUT the aluminum foil – and how it turned out. I haven’t found anything helpful on the net. If nobody has tried it, does anyone have thoughts on how that may or may not work out? I ask this for both environmental and health reasons. Thanks! – Katie
9:52 AM, August 23, 2007
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SusanV said…
Katie, I haven’t tried this, but how about wrapping it snuggly in parchment paper and putting it on a glass baking dish? I’d make sure to roll it so that the parchment paper goes around it at least 3 times, to prevent it from tearing.
10:11 AM, August 23, 2007
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Anonymous said…
Thanks, Susan (for ALL that you share!!) – I am pretty limited in my baking knowledge… don’t even own any parchment paper. Should the seitan still brown with it? I did make a mock-chicken version of Lachesis’ recipe, with foil, and it was divine… but I just can’t bear sticking with AL foil. I also saw a pic of a more loaf-like result on PPK, and the author said they didn’t use foil… but didn’t say what they did use – looks almost like a glass or metal loaf pan shape. I am not a member of that site, or I would ask them.. Still, you seem to be the kitchen goddess (and this is my fave food blog!), so I figure you’d know best! – thanks again – Katie
12:48 PM, August 23, 2007
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Hilary said…
thanks so much for posting this recipe! i made it today, and it’s delicious. perfect amount of spices, very tasty! 🙂
5:58 PM, August 29, 2007
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Anonymous said…
Just following up here for anyone else who wants to SKIP THE ALUMINUM FOIL… I opted to try something non-disposable that I already own, rather than buying parchment paper. My recipe is my own variation of the Seitan O’ Greatness, but was approximately a triple batch of the one posted here. I placed the dough in a 9″ non-stick loaf pan and inverted a larger rectangular glass dish for the lid. I actually made 2 triple recipes, using two pans/two flavors. My loaf pans are identical, but my glass dishes/lids are different sizes… The one that is approx. 9″x14″ effectively contained the loaf fully in its pan, while the 8″x11″ hadn’t quite enough weight to fully contain its loaf during the baking (and/or because that loaf was a little drier than the other, it rose a little more?). Still, there’s little difference in their cooled sizes and textures. Furthermore, I got a nice, thin, chewy “crust” this way, all around – better than with the foil, contrary to other folks’ surmising! They both dumped well upon cooling 10-15 minutes and there was no oil whatsoever in either version. If the loaf shape works for you (great for sammiches), I highly recommend this earth-friendly and perhaps-healthier way of baking the yummy seitan! – Happy Baking! – Katie
2:05 PM, September 03, 2007
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Nunya said…
That was very tasty! I wish I could have sliced it thinner. I made it and then made pizza to go with it. Thank you very much!
6:53 PM, November 25, 2007
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Lennon said…
This was pretty deece. I put it on a pizza with cashew “cheese.” Good stuff.
7:13 PM, March 21, 2008
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speedwell said…
Just made it, doubling many of the spices (we like our food on the right end of the bell curve when it comes to spices.) I actually achieved “too spiciness,” which is rare around here, but it is still so good that I couldn’t wait for it to cool. 🙂
Glad I made a double batch and put the other log in the freezer!!
I added two tablespoons extra water (to the doubled recipe), halved the liquid smoke, played with the spices, subbed a half teaspoon of turbinado sugar for the quarter teaspoon of agave nectar, and added a tablespoon of olive oil. I made my logs about 10 inches long. The final result (well, the leftover half of one log, LOL) firmed up beautifully in the fridge overnight and can be sliced thin very easily. One batch of the recipe made about twice as much as I expected, and this is a great good thing.
Thanks, Susan!
10:40 AM, June 08, 2008
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Joe said…
Incredibly easy and incredibly good! Thanks for dinner Susan.
5:59 PM, September 27, 2008
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Achyuta said…
This was soooo awesome! Loved it..thanks a lot!
6:31 AM, October 07, 2008
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Naomi said…
I replaced the smoked paprika with a pinch of cayenne, and doubling the smoke to 2 teaspoons; used tahini; substituted yeast for 2 teaspoons Marmite. It turned out fantastic, thanks for the recipe!
8:14 PM, November 05, 2008
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Anonymous said…
This recipe was amazing! I used soy sauce instead of instant smoke and tahini and Peanut butter instead of cashew butter and it was fantastic! I divided the dough into 8 smaller logs and reduced the total cooking time to about 40 minutes, turning half-way through. I ended up with 8 slim jim/ snack sized vegan jerkey sticks. Excellent! I definitely will make these again and would recommend them to everyone!
8:58 AM, November 11, 2008
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Anonymous said…
sorry i’m way late to this discussion but could this POSSIBLY be made into salami? if so, how?
i was never a pepperoni fan but salami, now THAT’S something i miss!
1:21 PM, December 17, 2008
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gillimcwilli said…
ohhhhhh my goodness!!! Susan…I never comment on things, but this calls for some special attention. I’ve been a fan of this blog for a long long time, everything i make is soo good. I was so close to commenting on your black bean burger because that was insanely taste bud pleasin’ and should be in your ridiculously easy section. But anyway…yeah, this recipe is almost to die for ; )
6:32 PM, February 03, 2009
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Sistercooks.blogspot.com said…
Just to let you know, I have made sieten o’ greatness with orgrans gfg, which is a gluten free gluten substitute and it came out wonderful! In fact, it is cooling right now on my dining room table!
2:25 AM, June 28, 2009
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sdterp
For those looking for the Vegan Vittles, First Edition mentioned here, I found several used copies available for just a couple of dollars (not counting the $3 shipping and whatever state tax you may have to pay) on http://www.alibris.com.
reilly
Anonymous, that slim jim suggestion is going to make me cry. I'm off to make a double batch of this. It's nice for pizzas but I use it a lot for lunch meat, I just throw it in my sandwiches.
dianev
My family and I are trying to transition to a vegan diet. We did well this week, except for the pepperoni pizza my husband brought home one day! I made this last night and he ate it – plain just slices. He said it was good, maybe a bit too spicy for him. But, I told him I made it to put on a pizza and he agreed it would be good for that. We were both very surprised at how good it tasted. Thanks so much for the great recipe! I am sure I will make it often.
Krista
Here's a website that has gluten-free seitan recipes. They all look so good!
http://www.meatandeggfree.com/gluten-free-seitan.html
sdterp
NICE! Thanks for that post. I have a friend who is lactose & gluten sensitive & I’m always looking for resources. This is a keeper!
myvegancookbook
I'm sitting here eating your pepperoni recipe on pizza as we speak. You have a winner! This taste just like pepperoni. I am imagining what I'm going to use it for next, pasta salad perhaps. I sliced it using my salad shooter which is great to have for slicing this kind of thing, worked great.
reilly
Still loving this! I think if you could find a way to base this off some kind of legume, it'd be even better!
Donna
Love, Love, Love the Veggeroni. Thanks so much Susan.
Anonymous
Susan–this is the best seitan I have ever made! I accidently over baked it by 15 minutes, but it was outstanding in texture and taste. I had pita pizzas all week using this. Thanks so much for perfecting seitan!!
Seattle DUI attorney
Very awesome idea. Thanks.
Anonymous
Holy Cow! This is heavenly. I'm eating a hot sandwich now and it's to die for!!! Thank you. I used tahini and about 3/4 tsp pepper flakes. I steamed it in foil for an hour first and then baked it for 45 minutes. I don't know how much restraint I can show with this stuff. Yum.
J.L. Smith
ewan
Hi, I’ve made this a couple of times and while i love the flavour, i find it a bit dry and bready… Did you find steaming first made it moister and improved the texture or did you do this for some other reason~? Has anyone just steamed it?
Best wishes..
SusanV
Steaming does make it less dry. I would probably just steam it for 45 minutes and not bother baking it unless it needs to be toughened up. But the thing is, pepperoni is supposed to be harder than other sausages. If you’d like something moister, how about trying either my Italian or Irish sausages?
Anonymous
DELICIOUS! I just made this and I can't wait to share it with friends. Following the recipe, I found I had quite a LARGE log, so I divided it in half and made two rolls about 8 inches long and 2 inches diameter. They cooked up just perfectly. I went to a pizza place last night that's kind enough to offer a vegan pizza on the menu. But it was horribly unimaginative: sauce, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives. This is what it was missing. Dang, that would have been good.
– Michelle
SoyVeygan
Make sure when using Liquid Smoke to find the Colgin version as that is the only one I have seen that is certified VEGAN! I wouldn't trust other companies with out calling them first and confirming.
http://www.colgin.com
However Colgin is usually the only one you are likely too find but I have seen others and they don't have the little Plant V on them nor do they say certified vegan meaning the smoke could be obtained during the smoking of meat but I am not sure so like everything you use CHECK THE INGREDIENTS and contact the company if you are unsure.
Niki, author
I want to apologize for the outburst that I had… I have just been getting frustrated with corporate propaganda lately and totally took it out on you. If I met you on the street, I never could feel right saying such mean things. Please reject my previous comment and accept my apology. I am sorry.
SusanV
Hi Niki, apology accepted. I'll take the comment down.
A
Stupid question #1: Is it safe to assume that vital wheat gluten is the same as vital wheat gluten flour? I tried to google this question and did not really get a definitive answer. Thanks Susan (my idol that I think of nearly every time I cook!)
Island Chica
Okay that sounded a bit stalkerish but I just REALLY admire your talents!
Jennifer
This looks amazing! I'm making it right now and am just wondering- how long does this keep in the fridge? Does it freeze well?
SusanV
Jennifer, I think it will freeze without any problem and will probably be good in the fridge for about a week.
Island Chica, sorry not to have seen your question before. In some places vital wheat gluten is known as vital wheat gluten flour BUT there is also something called High Gluten flour that is not the same thing (just regular flour with some gluten added). Just be sure that whatever you buy it is 100% gluten. You can test it by mixing a couple of tablespoons with a little water and kneading it. If it come out stretchy and strong, it's gluten; if it's more like bread dough, it's mostly flour.
lovemyfamily
another great recipe. like others, it seemed to make more than a 7 inch log. It also cuts much better into slices when left in the fridge for about 8 hours. I plan on freezing the leftovers cause I freeze seitan and it works great so this shouldn't be too different. I will probably preslice it before I freeze it, just like I precut seitan before I freeze it, that way I can just grab what I want.
junen
Unbelievably good. Because of having my hubby on a Ornish/McDougall/Esselstyn reversing heart disease diet, I made it without the cashew butter or other substitutes and it worked just fine. Use it on Ornish pizza dough. It was wonderful Thank you so much for bringing spicy pizza back to our lives!
Sylvia
I made one last week, and making another one right now.
It was so scrumptious, I couldn’t believe it.
Thank you, Susan!!
Sharon
I have been making seitan pep. for a while now and just tried this recipe for the first time. It turned out great, but not much different then recipes I have made without the cashew/tahini. Is this ingredient necessary? It does not seem like the the two reasons one would usually add this ingredient- creaminess or flavor- apply for this recipe. Just curious, I love learning new things about how the ingredients in recipes come into play.
Also, I made 2 rolls like everyone else. I always have trouble getting my rolls smooth like the one in the photo above…any hints on making seitan cooperate while forming?
Thanks- enjoying the site!
SusanV
Hi Sharon–The tahini is there to break down the gluten so that it’s a better texture, but it’s totally optional. As for the rolls, I pinch off the dough, put it on a cutting board, and roll it back and forth with my hands lightly pressing down from above until it is the right thichness. Wrapping it tightly in the aluminum foil also keeps it smooth.
nan
for your coeliac friends… the gluten/seitan can be replace :
http://www.asparagusthin.com/2008/11/gluten-free-gluten.html
Michael
I finally made this last night and its AWESOME. I’m making a few more today to freeze. Someone here mentioned slicing it…I picked up a meat/deli slicer a few months ago (on sale $49.95) and use it to slice my seasoned seitan into deli-thin 3-5″ for samwiches & pizzas. I marinade it, then pack & freeze it, then take out small packs at a time & lightly fry it before using it.
I wonder, how is the vegan “balona” coming?
Erin
This was absolutely amazing. Better than any vegan pepperoni on the market and easy to make. This is a keeper!!!
Shelby
I have just made the decision to go vegan. What amazes me is that I have no desire for any meat, dairy or egg. I was brought up in a vegetarian home so I had a lot of meat analogs to eat but they were never homemade. I am so glad to have your blog here to help me find recipes that are vegan and delicious! I am definitely making your pepperoni. I am wondering, is there a vegan cheese that works well for pizza?
SusanV
There’s a very popular vegan cheese called Daiya that melts better than the other vegan cheeses. I have to warn you, though, that it’s very high in fat and probably no healthier than dairy cheese.
Laura
Hi Susan,
Question: Is there a specific mustard seed to use? I’ve only been able to find ‘yellow mustard seed’. Would this work?
Many thanks!
SusanV
Laura, I used black mustard seeds, but yellow should work just as well. Hope you enjoy it!
David
Is it just me, or does everyone notice a very distinct gluten smell and flavor, distinct from other seasonings and ingredients in seitan recipes? I find I don’t like that flavor or smell much. It’s like amplified bread or stuffing smell. Or is it maybe characteristic of the gluten I’m using–Bob’s Red Mill?
Karen
I hear you David!
I’m not totally stoked on Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten flour either. In the past, I used a flour called “Do Pep” but I can’t find it locally anymore….
Bob’s has a different texture and now that you mention it, the smell is strong. I might try to find some other flour brands to try……
Karen/ Portland, OR
Bert
Susan, this recipe was great but seemed likr it could taste a bit more pepperoni-like. What do you think about just increasing the spices to see how it comes out, or would you suggest a few inparticular to adjust? Otherwise it tasted great and so happy to have this recipe in my collection now. Thanks!
-Bert
SusanV
Bert, I would just increase the spices that you think it needs more of. It’s been well over 20 years since I’ve tasted pepperoni, so my taste buds might just be easily fooled. 🙂
Thanks for all your great feedback!
Mark
I have a question about the liquid smoke that you use. I was picking up a few things I needed to make this at the grocery store and they only had various flavors of liquid smoke. Your recipe doesn’t specify a flavor though, so I was thinking there was a regular flavor that the store just didn’t have. But the Colgin website makes is seem as if there isn’t a regular flavor. So I ended up getting the mesquite. Could you please let me know what you used? Thanks!
SusanV
Wow, that’s a great problem to have! My store has only one flavor–smoke flavor! Mesquite sounds good, and I’d probably go with it or hickory smoke, if that’s an option. I’ll have to look at their website because they seem to have changed things since I’ve looked at it.
cribs
Wow! This is something really cool! I am going to try this one. I am trying to be a vegan and this is a nice start.
Laura
This is delicious, but doesn’t really taste like pepperoni to me. Oh well, I will happily eat it in sandwiches and wraps and such. I just started on Dr Barnard’s 21 day Kickstart on Sunday (having had my last pepperoni pizza the night before) so the taste of pepperoni is still fresh in my mind. Meh, I can live without it (the “real” thing). So many tasty alternatives!
Mrsflex
I made this over the weekend and am thrilled with the result. I had no idea it would be so easy to make. I love that I control the ingredients that go into it, especially the amount of sodium. I find that a lot of the prepackaged products are way too salty, plus it’s so much cheaper and healthier to make it yourself. I made a sandwich with it and also had some thin, grilled slices as a side to my pancakes. Thanks for such a versatile recipe.
sdterp
For those looking for the Vegan Vittles, First Edition mentioned here, I found several used copies available for just a couple of dollars (not counting the $3 shipping and whatever state tax you may have to pay) on http://www.alibris.com.