Knowledge Base > Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
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Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
This event was on
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to co… Read More.
Question:
![Lynda E](/assets/users/default_thumbnail-c14152f0fe89cae1cce32e15cdc92f426d801796f87b61f4bb21b89f4b1704ab.jpg)
Why is my seitan rubbery/chewy? Too much liquid in dough or not enough? Kneading too long or not long enough? Steaming too long or not enough?
— Lynda Essex
Answer:
More liquid will make a more tender dough. Okay? So you, you consider looking at the hydration to begin with. And if you can, you know, perhaps increase that, um, uh, that's gonna give you, uh, generally speaking, a more tender, uh, finished product. Do keep in mind that as hydration increases, the dough becomes a little, uh, more difficult to handle. Um, you know, in which case you, uh, you know, you, you can consider using a, a bench scraper. You know, for example, um, uh, a plastic pliable bench scraper can be very handy, uh, to move around, um, a very highly hydrated dough. Um, and, uh, you know, in terms of Satan, and Satan is characterized by gluten. And, uh, so it, uh, um, you know, will have a lot of structure from the gluten structure equals, um, some degree of chewiness. Now, and kneading more kneading will develop the gluten to a greater extent, okay? To a certain point. Um, so you can try kneading less, um, you know, which should yield a, uh, somewhat more tender finished product, okay? But again, this particular product we call a Satan is characterized by the gluten. So, uh, it is gonna be a little bit, uh, firm chewy toothsome. Uh, some people characterize it as a little bit rubbery. Okay? And, um, uh, let's see. So in terms of steaming, one thing steaming does is it imparts, um, some liquid, uh, at least on the, uh, the outer surfaces, depends on how long the steaming takes place. But, um, um, so again, liquid has a tendency to, uh, tenderize, uh, an item. Uh, but give this a, a try and, and see, uh, what kinda a result that you, you like, okay? Um, you know, based upon, uh, a longer steam, maybe some more liquid, some less needing. And, uh, take notes as you go. I always recommend that, uh, cooks when they're making a change, uh, or testing a recipe, these are the same things, right? If you're making a change, you are testing a recipe, uh, to take notes, uh, is certainly, uh, the best practice that, that I stick to, you know, each week as I tinker in the kitchen.
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