Whole Wheat Wednesday - Wheat Meat "Beef Steak"

We’ve been discussing the methods for using gluten to make wheat meat. Today I will pass on the instructions for making “beef Steak” using gluten.

The first thing to remember when attempting this is that this is wheat gluten, not beef steak. However, with a little practice you can make a satisfactory beef steak substitute.

Wheat Meat Beef Steak
Follow the methods for making wheat gluten we have already discussed. Beef steak is made by rolling and stretching the gluten as thin as you can. It is very springy and bouncy, but keep rolling and stretching as you go and eventually you will be able to stretch it thin enough.

Use a very sharp knife to cut into steak shaped pieces; drop these pieces into a pot of boiling broth made from 4 Tablespoons beef soup base and 2 quarts water. Simmer for 2-3 hours until the texture resembles that of beef.

The texture of the “beef steak” may be improved by patting the steaks dry with paper toweling and drying in a 300º oven for a few minutes. They should resemble thin beef steaks, or cube steaks.

One way to serve these “steaks” is to serve with beef gravy, or a seasoned sauce such as if you were making Swiss Steak with a tomato base. Just remember not to simmer the “meat” in the gravy or sauce, but rather to just serve the sauce over the meat.

One thing about making wheat meat is that if you have your wheat already, you don’t have a big investment to try making the wheat meat and experimenting. You can see what you come up with and how you like it or if your family likes it. Could be very interesting and definitely a good learning experience. You’ll never know what you can do with wheat until you try!