BASIC RAW GLUTEN

8 cups wheat flour*

2 cups water, approximately (enough to make a kneadable dough)

Mix and knead the above together for about 20-30 minutes or until you have a very smooth ball of dough with no cracks in it. Kneading is what develops the gluten. It should bounce back when you punch it. Hard wheat flour and high-gluten flour develop the best.

Put this ball of dough in a bowl large enough to hold it and add enough cold water to cover the ball completely. Let it soak under water for one or two hours. Then begin kneading it under water, kneading out all the starch and being careful to hold the gluten together. Change the water when it gets pretty milky from the starch, and keep changing it until the water stays almost clear. This should make 11/2 – 2 cups of raw gluten which is ready to be spiced, oiled, and cooked.

*This can be all whole wheat flour, half and half white and whole wheat flour, half and half gluten flour and whole wheat flour, or all gluten flour, or any combination of wheat flours.

You can save the starchy rinse water from rinsing the gluten and let it settle to the bottom of the pot. Poor off the clear water and spread the starch out on pans to dry in the sun. Break up the lumps as it is drying and when it is completely dry, put it through a sifter or a sieve to make a powder. This starch can be used like cornstarch in puddings or gravies. although it takes a little more wheat starch than cornstarch.