1.    Cover the soybeans with cold water and let stand 8 hours, changing the water twice. At the end of the soak, boil the beans rapidly for 10 minutes. Drain the soybeans.

 

2.    Place 1 cup of soaked, boiled soybeans and 3 cups of fresh water in a blender. Run the blender on top speed for 3 minutes, until you have a milky-looking slurry. Pour this into a large cooking pot. Repeat with as many batches as you need to use up all the soybeans, always using the same ratio of beans to fresh water. When the beans are used up, place over low heat, slowly bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Line a colander completely with a clean cotton dishtowel and place the colander in a second large pot so the ends of the dishtowel hang over the edge of the pot.

 

3.    Pour the hot soybean mixture into the towel. Some milk will run through, but most will not. Let the mixture cool until it’s just warm. Gather up the edges of the towel and twist them to make a sealed ball of the mixture. Tighten the ball by twisting the gathered edges, scraping the outside of the towel to encourage the milk to flow. Don’t let any of the solids get into the milk. Continue tightening and scraping until most of the milk has been expressed. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before you need to make the tofu.