Baked Tofu

Step 1

Drain the tofu. Slice your block of tofu into 2 or 3 even slabs (depending on the shape of your tofu block, each slab should be about 3/4 to 1-inch thick).  Lay some paper towels or a clean tea towel on a flat surface, and place the slabs side by side on top of the paper towels.  Cover with another layer of paper towels.  Then place a cutting board on top of the tofu, and stack a bunch of heavy cans or pots or whatever you can safely balance on the cutting board.  The idea is to put a lot of pressure/weight on the tofu, which will help the excess water to press out into the paper towels.  Let the tofu drain for at least 15-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat your oven to 400°F.

Step 2

Cut the tofu. Once the tofu has drained, remove the weights and paper towels.  And use a knife to cut the tofu into your desired shapes.  I typically just make little cubes (about 3/4-inch each), but you can cut any size of triangles, rectangles, or other shapes that you'd like.

Step 3

Coat the tofu. Add your tofu to a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, and toss until evenly coated.  Sprinkle evenly with cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and black pepper.  Gently toss until the tofu is evenly coated.

Step 4

Arrange on a baking sheet. Turn the tofu out onto a parchment-covered baking sheet, and arrange it so that the tofu is in an even layer (not touching).

Step 5

Bake until crispy. Bake for 15 minutes.  Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and flip each of the tofu bites so that they can cook evenly on the other side.  Return to the oven for 15-20 more minutes, or until the tofu reaches your desired level of crispiness.  Remove baking sheet from the oven.

Step 6

Serve warm.  And enjoy!