The directions given below are best for making tofu. To make soy milk destined for drinking or using on cereal, you need to remove more of the beany flavors: After soaking the beans, drain them and bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add the beans; when the pot returns to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and proceed to blend, simmer, and strain them as directed below.

Place in a medium bowl:

Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches and soak for 12 hours.

Drain the beans and puree in a blender until completely smooth with:

Pour into a large pot, being sure to scrape any bean mixture out of the bottom of the blender. Add:

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon to avoid scorching. When foam rises, remove the pot from the heat. Have ready a large colander lined with a nut milk bag or a generous square of thin cotton muslin. Set the lined colander over a large bowl and pour the soy mixture in gradually. Tighten the cloth or bag around the pulp—the okara—and press out as much milk as possible with the back of the spoon. When cool enough to handle, wring it out with your hands to extract all the liquid. Open the cloth, spread the pulp out in the cloth, and sprinkle over it:

Press and wring out the pulp one more time and set aside or discard (you may add the nutritious pulp to baked goods or veggie burgers). Clean out the large pot, pour the milk back into it, and bring to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 10 minutes (this will destroy the antinutrient trypsin). If you plan to make tofu, proceed as directed below. If not, cool the milk and refrigerate before serving.