Um, How Does One Milk a Soybean, Exactly?
When Kendra came home from work a few weeks ago with many jars full of dried organic local soybeans from Potenza Organic Produce, I wasn't exactly sure what I was in for. "Honey," she said, "let's make our own soymilk!" Oh, boy.
It turns out that making your own soy milk is waaaay easier than I anticipated and you can make a quart of it for approximately 20 cents at home. 20 cents compared to $3.99? Sign me up!
First: soak your dried soybeans overnight in cold water. The ratio should be approximately 3:1, since your soybeans will plump right up. In the morning, discard your soaking water and rinse the beans.
Various different people and websites will tell you a million and one ways to complete the next few steps. I wouldn't say there's one right way to do them, but this is what I find to be the most efficient.
Next: Boil the soybeans in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes. Strain the beans and discard the water. Once the beans are cool, peel off their skins as best as you can. It's much easier to do this once they're boiled. It's not vital to your survival that you peel them, but it does make the soy milk easier to digest This is also my favorite part, because I'm a weirdo.
Third: Put the peeled and boiled soybeans in a blender or food processor with 3-4 cups of fresh cold water and blend until smooth. The less water you use, the thicker your milk will be.
Once smooth, strain your pulpy milk through a nut milk bag, muslin bag, or cheesecloth and SQUEEEEEEEZE. Use those forearms! If you're so inspired, you can save the remaining pulp, also known as okara, to use in baking, as a thickener, a salad or soup topping, or to make homemade veggie burgers. More recipes using that to come at a later date!
Now that your pulp and milk are separated, you can add the milk to a saucepan and flavor it however your heart desires. Cook it on low heat (about 180 degrees) for 20 minutes. If you want unsweetened soy milk, you don't even need to do that. Refrigerate and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Hooray, Betty Crocker! You just made your own homemade, affordable, tasty soymilk! You're done! Except for cleaning up your kitchen. I can't help you there.
BEAN MILKING TIPS!
#1.
We have had success adding coconut oil to our soy milk and cooking it down to make homemade coffee creamer.
#2.
If you want, you can skip the initial boil and move right to the blender after soaking and peeling. My experience, however, is that boiling the soybeans makes them much easier to peel.
#3.
We've also tried our hand at making a mixture of soy-oat milk and soy-hazelnut milk. Both of these have quite a different taste and texture, but they're delicious!