A holiday dinner loaf made with firm tofu, vital wheat gluten, and an array of seasonings. This loaf can be stuffed with a savory filling or left plain, and is best made the day before. The stuffed roast slices beautifully and pairs well with festive holiday trimmings, especially gravy. The plain roast is great served hot or cold, sliced or shredded, as a holiday entrée or in sandwiches and salads.
I love how versatile and easy this Turkey Seiten Holiday Roast is. You have several helpful options with this recipe. And this is true whether you follow a gluten-free, soy-free, or oil-free diet.
For instance, if you can’t consume soy or tofu, substitute the tofu with chickpeas or cannellini beans. If you follow a gluten-free diet, replace the vital wheat gluten with sorghum flour, pea protein and Xanthan gum. See the notes in the recipe below for details.
You also have the option to stuff this roast or leave it plain. The stuffed roast is similar to a commercially prepared roast we purchased a couple of years ago. It also results in a nice presentation but it’s definitely not required. Feel free to use packaged stuffing or make the Simple Stuffing in the recipe below.
The plain unstuffed roast is great served hot or cold, sliced or shredded, as a holiday entrée with gravy, or in sandwiches and salads. For the holidays, I really do prefer to stuff ours.
And though this Turkey Seiten Holiday Roast does take some time to prepare, it is made with five simple and easy steps.
- Make the dough.
- Shape (and stuff) the loaf.
- Bake the roast.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Baste and heat before serving.
First, make the dough. To make the roast, a dough is made by combining the ingredients in a food processor. A food processor keeps things simple because it can blend the slurry and handle the dough after the vital wheat gluten is added.
I use a large food processor with the s blade. If you don’t have a food processor or yours is smaller, you can use a blender to make the slurry of the crumbled tofu and first set of ingredients, then shifting to a bowl, adding the vital wheat gluten and seasonings, and kneading by hand until a soft and elastic dough forms.
Next is shaping the loaf. This is actually the fun part. Well, it’s fun if you enjoy working with dough. I like dividing the dough in three equal pieces, then forming each piece into long ropes.
To develop the gluten and create more fibrous strands, twist the ropes and then wrap or tuck them under and around one another, rolling and shaping the dough to create an oblong loaf, shaping with your hands to form a smooth even loaf.
If you’re not stuffing your roast, it’s ready to bake. If you are stuffing your roast, roll out your loaf to create a small rectangle. Scoop prepared stuffing into the center to create an oblong loaf shape atop the dough, leaving about an inch all the way around.
Then, wrap the dough up and over the stuffing and pressing the ends of the dough together to form a seam. Press the sides up and down, pressing together to seal the sides. Carefully turn the loaf over so that the seam side is on the bottom.
The third step is baking the roast. Start by wrapping the loaf in a large piece of parchment paper so that the seam side is down. Transfer the loaf to a casserole dish or large loaf pan. Pour in ½ cup of broth, then cover the pan tightly with foil or a tight-fitting lid. Bake the loaf for 1 hour 30 minutes.
The fourth step is allowing the roast to cool completely, then allowing it to chill in the refrigerate overnight. This ensures the best texture and flavor. If you just don’t have the time, go ahead and skip this step. Your roast will still be delicious and firm. Just know that, like chili, it’s even better the next day.
The fifth and final step is basting and heating your roast. When you’re ready to serve, take the roast out of the refrigerator, remove the foil or lid, and transfer it to a shallow casserole dish or baking sheet. Allow the roast to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
Using a pastry brush, baste the loaf with the prepared Turkey Glaze and roast in the oven for about twenty minutes. It should be nice and golden brown and heated through. Remove the roast from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes, then slice and serve.
Store any remaining roast in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze this roast with fairly good results. Just wrap well in parchment paper and foil to prevent freezer burn.
I enjoy serving this Turkey Seiten Holiday Roast for special holiday dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It goes very well with my Creamy Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, Baked Mac ‘n Cheez, Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing, Classic Green Bean Casserole, and Orange Cranberry Sauce. For more inspiration, check out my Pinterest Holiday board.
I love that this Turkey Seiten Holiday Roast is purposely made in advance, making it perfect for large family gatherings and holiday meals. And since it freezes well, it is ideal for meal prep and batch freezer meals. Freeze for up to three months, thawing overnight in the refrigerator before use.
I hope you enjoy this Turkey Seiten Holiday Roast as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Turkey Seiten Roast Ingredients
- 10 oz super firm tofu*
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Chicken Flavored Bouillon Powder
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Umami Vegetable Broth
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1½ cups vital wheat gluten**
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt (optional)
- Optional Stuffing
- ½ cup Umami Vegetable Broth
Turkey Glaze Ingredients
- 1 tsp Umami Vegetable Broth
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp poultry seasoning blend
Optional Simple Stuffing Ingredients***
- 8 oz bread, diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup Umami Vegetable Broth
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the loaf. In a food processor, crumble the tofu and add in the garlic, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Process until somewhat smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and remaining seasonings. Process until a soft elastic firm dough forms, about 1 minute.
- Remove the dough and knead with your hands for about 1 minute. If the dough is too wet, add a little vital wheat gluten. If it’s too dry, add a little more water or broth. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Divide the dough into three equal pieces, then form each piece into long ropes.
- Intertwine the ropes together, twisting and tucking them under and around one another, then roll and shape to create an oblong loaf, shaping with your hands to form a smooth even loaf. (This step helps develop the gluten and make fibrous strands).
- Options – Stuffed or Plain: to make a plain loaf, proceed to the next step.
- To fill the loaf with stuffing make the Simple Stuffing per the Stuffing Instructions** in Notes below.
- Roll out your loaf to create a small rectangle. Scoop the stuffing into the center, slightly applying pressure to mold a small oblong loaf shape atop the dough, leaving an inch on either side. Lift one end of the dough up and over the stuffing, then lift the opposite end of the dough up and over the stuffing, joining and pressing the ends of the dough together to form a seam. Press the sides up and down, pressing together to seal the sides. Carefully turn the loaf over so that the seam side is on the bottom.
- Wrap the loaf in a large piece of parchment paper so that the seam side is down. Transfer the loaf to a casserole dish or large loaf pan. Pour in ½ cup of broth. Cover the pan tightly with foil or a tight-fitting lid.
- Bake the loaf for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Remove the roast from the oven and allow to cool completely, then cover the dish and refrigerate overnight (for up to three days.)
- Make the Turkey Glaze.
- In a bowl, stir together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, and poultry seasoning. Set aside.
- To Serve.
- Take the loaf out of the refrigerator and transfer to a shallow casserole dish or baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F while the loaf comes to room temperature.
- Remove the parchment paper from the loaf. Using a pastry brush, baste the loaf with the prepared Turkey Glaze.
- Roast the loaf on the middle rack for 20 minutes, until golden brown and heated through.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
- Store any remaining loaf in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
* If you can’t have soy or tofu, use one can of chickpeas or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained.
** If you follow a gluten-free diet, replace the 1½ cups of vital wheat gluten with 1 cup sorghum flour, ½ cup pea protein and 2 tsp Xanthan gum.
*** You can use packaged stuffing or make your own Simple Stuffing. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth to a simmer and turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then the dried bread cubes. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then toss lightly to fluff. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside.
I use my food processor with the s blade. You can also use a stand mixer using the whisk attachment to combine the crumbled tofu and first set of ingredients, then shifting to the dough hook after adding the vital wheat gluten and seasonings. Mix on low to medium loaf speed until a soft dough forms.The turkey seiten is adapted from My Quiet Kitchen. My stuffed loaf is inspired by Gardein’s turk’y roast.
Turkey Seiten Holiday Roast (stuffed or plain)
Equipment
- food processor
- oven
Ingredients
Turkey Seiten Roast Ingredients
- 10 oz super firm tofu*
- 4-5 cloves of garlic minced
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Chicken Flavored Bouillon Powder
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Umami Vegetable Broth
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1½ cups vital wheat gluten**
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt optional
- Optional Stuffing
- ½ cup Umami Vegetable Broth
Turkey Glaze Ingredients
- 1 tsp Umami Vegetable Broth
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp poultry seasoning blend
Optional Simple Stuffing Ingredients***
- 8 oz bread diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup Umami Vegetable Broth
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp dried parsley or 1 Tbsp fresh
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the loaf.
- In a food processor, crumble the tofu and add in the garlic, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Process until somewhat smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and remaining seasonings. Process until a soft elastic firm dough forms, about 1 minute.
- Remove the dough and knead with your hands for about 1 minute. If the dough is too wet, add a little vital wheat gluten. If it’s too dry, add a little more water or broth. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Divide the dough into three equal pieces, then form each piece into long ropes. Intertwine the ropes together, twisting and tucking them under and around one another, then roll and shape to create an oblong loaf, shaping with your hands to form a smooth even loaf. (This step helps develop the gluten and make fibrous strands).
Options – Stuffed or Plain: to make a plain loaf, proceed to the next step.
- To fill the loaf with stuffing make the Simple Stuffing per the Stuffing Instructions** in Notes below.
- Roll out your loaf to create a small rectangle. Scoop the stuffing into the center, slightly applying pressure to mold a small oblong loaf shape atop the dough, leaving an inch on either side. Lift one end of the dough up and over the stuffing, then lift the opposite end of the dough up and over the stuffing, joining and pressing the ends of the dough together to form a seam. Press the sides up and down, pressing together to seal the sides. Carefully turn the loaf over so that the seam side is on the bottom.
- Wrap the loaf in a large piece of parchment paper so that the seam side is down. Transfer the loaf to a casserole dish or large loaf pan. Pour in ½ cup of broth. Cover the pan tightly with foil or a tight-fitting lid.
- Bake the loaf for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Remove the roast from the oven and allow to cool completely, then cover the dish and refrigerate overnight (for up to three days.)
Make the Turkey Glaze.
- In a bowl, stir together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, and poultry seasoning. Set aside.
To Serve.
- Take the loaf out of the refrigerator and transfer to a shallow casserole dish or baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F while the loaf comes to room temperature.
- Remove the parchment paper from the loaf. Using a pastry brush, baste the loaf with the prepared Turkey Glaze.
- Roast the loaf on the middle rack for 20 minutes, until golden brown and heated through.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
- Store any remaining loaf in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.