Preparing the Dough Heat a total of 8–10 cups of water to warm but not hot. Place flour in a large bowl. (It’s best to use other than a wooden bowl, as the wood might begin to absorb water during the lengthy washing process.) Add the water 1–2 cups at a time (up to the 3 1/2 cup total), mixing well after each addition. When all the water has been added, hold the bowl with one hand and use the other to mix the flour and water until you can form a ball of dough. Knead dough about 50 strokes. Add more water as needed (up to 1/2 cup) to prevent dough from getting too stiff . (It’s best to do this with your mixing bowl in the sink to make it easier to add water.) Form the dough into a ball, and place into a bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let dough rest 20 minutes or more to allow the gluten to develop. (The development of gluten is essential to making seitan. Without proper development, the mixture may remain batter-like and simply wash away in the next step.) After the resting period, knead the dough with damp hands for about 20 strokes and place back in the bowl. The mixture should be soft, dense, and dough-like. (While still fairly soft, you should notice that the dough is much more dense now.) Add warm water to the bottom of the bowl to cover the dough. Let the dough rest for 10–20 minutes or more in the warm water. Separating Gluten from Starch & Bran This next step is the rinsing process that will separate the gluten from the starch and bran. Knead the dough slowly and carefully. Pour off water as it becomes milky. (Save the starch water from the first few rinses to use as a thickener in stews and sauces or as the liquid in a bread recipe). Add filtered water from the tap into the bowl at the edge of the mound of dough and continue to knead. (Alternating between warm and very cold water will help develop the gluten.) As the starch and bran separate from the gluten, the water will continue to be milky. Repeat the washing process, gently kneading each time to extract the cream colored starch. (The goal is to wash out the bran while working the gluten strands into a dense mass.) The dough may seem delicate and begin to fall apart at first, but after a few cycles it can be handled more vigorously. Continue to squeeze the dough gently under running water. As you observe the developing gluten—which will be evident from its stringy, elastic qualities—increase the the flow of water and vigor of kneading and squeezing until the gluten can be stretched and pulled in all directions. (If dough is too delicate to handle, separate it into smaller balls during the first kneading and washing phase, and then combine to form a larger piece for cooking.) Continue kneading and rinsing under clear water until dough becomes a cohesive, elastic mass. Note: Sometimes a batch of dough disintegrates in the rinsing process. In this case try again, possibly with a different type of whole wheat or whole spelt flour. Cooking in the Marinade Mold the uncooked seitan into an oval and fold and stretch it until you have a piece similar to a loaf of bread. If you are going to stuff it, spread it out into a thin flat oval or rectangle. Prepare the Seitan Marinade. Add the seitan to the simmering Seitan Marinade. Partially cover pot and simmer for 2 hours. (Very few bubbles should be evident in the simmering broth.) Boiling the seitan will make for a pleasant spongy texture. Stir the seitan occasionally by lifting, gently repositioning it, and basting it with the cooking liquid. After 2 hours, a large portion of the broth will be absorbed into the seitan. If any remains, save it for flavoring gravies, other sauces, or soups. Or for a more flavorful seitan, cook until all the broth has been absorbed. Even when seitan is cooked, it is fairly soft and tender. As it cools, the seitan will become firmer. Allowing the seitan to remain in the broth until the seitan cools will make it easier to remove without having it break apart. Slice and serve.