Baked Tofu

Tofu gets a bad rap for being flavorless, boring, and at times undesirably rubbery—but the hate is undeserved. Avoid thinking of it as a meat substitute, let it exist on its own terms, as its own thing, and be surprised by what it has to offer. Treat it kindly and you'll be rewarded with a versatile protein that can play the field as a sweet or savory ingredient.

What is tofu?

Also known as bean curd, tofu is made from minimally processed soy milk that has been cooked and pressed into a block—essentially a vegan cheese. Depending on how much it's drained and pressed, tofu texture can vary from very soft, fragile "silken" to extra firm. Each type is suitable for different kinds of dishes. For baked tofu, the best kind to use is firm or extra firm; anything softer will likely crumble for this recipe.

Flavor it right.

Let's address the most popular complaint about tofu: its blandness. Just like a fresh cheese—think ricotta, cottage cheese, paneer, fresh mozzarella—it is mild in flavor. Add to the fact that it's made from relatively low-fat soybeans rather than rich, creamy cow's milk, it's a lot less indulgent-tasting straight out of the package. Produced and packaged with only very small quantities of salt, tofu needs to have the right background singers before its potential can truly shine. Fresh tofu isn't very porous, which means that even if it sits in a marinade, it won't take on a lot of flavor. 

Because of its high moisture content, there are two ways to season tofu effectively: cubing the tofu then soaking it in boiling salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt to 2 cups water) or freezing then defrosting it. The soaking method flavors the tofu by osmosis as the salty solution displaces the unseasoned water content inside the tofu. The freezing method causes the moisture content inside the tofu to crystallize. As water turns to ice, cell walls are punctured, and upon defrosting, the once solid tofu will take on a tannish hue and porous, springy texture. Once completely defrosted, the tofu can be squeezed dry with a little more pressure, and its new spongey quality allows for much better absorption of flavorings and marinades.

If you don't want to go through too many extra steps to get flavor into your tofu, you can simply use an assertive sauce or dressing that coats and clings to the cooked tofu. This recipe uses a slightly spicy sesame-ginger marinade that gets brushed on as a glaze for a double dose of flavor.

Should I drain or press tofu?

Our primer on how to cook tofu recommends pressing tofu with a weighted drainage set-up for at least an hour to eliminate extra moisture in the tofu. Truth is, pressing tofu isn't always necessary for every occasion and is only preferred if the recipe calls for it. In testing this recipe, I discovered that my favorite result came from just dabbing the tofu with some paper towels, exerting just enough pressure with my hands to get some water out without breaking the tofu. This method of preparation only takes a couple of minutes as opposed to an hour (or more!) and preserves the creamy, tender texture of the tofu. 

It's all about the texture.

In developing this recipe, I tested all four ways of tofu treatment to see which yielded the best results: pressing under cast iron pans for 1 hour, cubing then soaking in boiling salted water, freezing then defrosting, and drained and dabbed by hand. The winning method was also the simplest and quickest: dabbing the tofu by hand with four paper towels over two minutes got out just enough moisture. It retained its subtly milky essence and remained soft and tender through the bake, which contrasted so well with the saucy crispy-crunchy exterior.

The runner-up was the frozen tofu: this version absorbed the marinade the best and took on the most flavor. It also had a very interesting texture that reminded me of a mildly aged cheese, like a ricotta salata—a bit crumbly, a bit chewy, in a good way. Surprisingly, the pressed tofu was my least favorite and the worst of both worlds: the texture was tough and chalky (the bad kind of crumbly), and the flavor inside was the weakest of the bunch.

Cornstarch, baking powder, and oil.

Use baking powder if you want crispy baked tofu! Cornstarch alone will not do the job. Because your tofu is still moist, cornstarch will gel into a slurry once it comes in contact with each piece, and this slurry will create only a soft crust during the bake. Baking powder, on the other hand, will react with heat in the oven and moisture in the slurry to create tiny bubbles that will crisp up this crust. 

To ensure even distribution of the baking powder—we're only using 1/4 teaspoon here—mix together your cornstarch and baking powder well in a small bowl before adding to your tofu. And for a touch of extra crunch, toss your slurry-coated tofu in another tablespoon of sesame oil to approximate a little fry action in the oven! Start off hot with a 400° oven to seal the crust, then decrease the oven temperature to 375° and flip each piece of tofu to allow for even crisping.

If you've made this recipe, please leave us a comment and rating down below to let us know how you liked your tofu!