Panko Breaded Baked Tofu

I watched a rerun of America’s Worst Cooks the other night. Don’t hold a grudge. We don’t have TV so I’m limited to Hulu cooking shows and Netflix movies. AWC seemed like an okay decision at 11:30, post wine-consumption. The contestants were throwing together a stir-fry that included tofu. Except one woman kept calling it “too-foo,” which cracked me up every time. I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a few days now… Every time I’d start to type “tofu” though, it would make me laugh and think, “too-foo.” I hope the remainder of this post does the same for you.

I love tofu. Plain, fried, baked, crumbled into things, diced with ginger, green onions and soy sauce.  I could eat it every day. Really. All things too-foo.

One thing I learned quickly when it comes to baking tofu is that pressing it is essential. This gets rid of the water, allowing the tofu to soak up whatever flavor you allow it to. While there may seem to be repetitive ingredients in each of the following stages, the reason is simply to build layers of flavor. You won’t be disappointed by your efforts.

Panko Breaded Baked Tofu

Ingredients:
oil for pan
20 oz. super firm tofu (this is my favorite), cut ¼” thick then pressed for at least 1 hour

For the soak:
1 ¼ cup vegetable broth
¼ cup tamari
¼ cup milk
1” piece of ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. dried thyme

For the flour mixture:
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. granulated garlic
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme 

For the wet ingredients:
½ cup vegetable broth
½ cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. granulated garlic
¼ tsp. ground sage

For the panko mixture:
6 oz. panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Directions:

You need 4 separate, shallow dishes. Combine all the soaking ingredients in one, all the flour mixture ingredients in another, all the wet ingredients in the third dish, then the remaining panko mixture ingredients in the fourth dish.

Place the tofu in a single layer on a baking pan deep enough to hold the soaking liquid, which you can now pour over the layered tofu. Let the tofu soak for about 30 minutes. (If you want, reserve the soaking liquid and you can use it to make gravy for your baked tofu!)

Lightly grease a baking pan or two if needed. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Dredge the tofu slices first in the flour mixture, then the wet mixture, then the panko mixture, coating evenly each time. You can gently press the panko onto the tofu slices, to get more on them.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning the slices over halfway through. The tofu is done when lightly browned and crispy on the outside.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauces or topped with gravy. Enjoy!