I've been tinkering with homemade soymilk for a while now. I have always loved the idea of making it from scratch, without any additives, preservatives, wasted packaging and the boundless variations of flavors. The problem was that I couldn't get past the beany taste, until now. Someone had posted a tip on the PPK boards about soaking the beans in a large shallow container. They claimed that it eliminated a lot of that beany taste. Although I was skeptical, I gave it a try. Wow, it worked like a charm! And it was so quick and easy to make.
To begin with, I used a Soyabella soy milk maker. I soaked the required measure of organic soybeans in a large glass casserole dish overnight. In the morning, I rinsed the beans, adding water to cover. I rubbed the beans between my hands (in the water) to get off some of the skins (you can also pop them between your fingers). This only took a couple of minutes, and apparently helps to reduce the beany flavor. The skins floated to the top. I gave the beans another quick rinse, added them to the machine, filled it up with the required water and was ready to go. Fifteen minutes later, I had a lovely looking soy milk. For flavor, I added 3 tablespoons of organic sugar and a nice dash of vanilla (maybe a teaspoon or so). Once the milk had cooled down a bit, I strained it into a clean glass jug and it was ready to go. This was the best batch of soy milk yet!
Soaked soybeans ready for action
Freshly made milk in the machineI am now hooked on making fresh soy milk at home. It's so quick, easy and very economical. I'll keep playing with the recipes and flavorings and let you know what I come up with. I'm thinking almond, horchata, nutmeg, ginger...maybe even matcha or chai. The flavor combinations are endless.
Fresh, creamy soy milk
Fresh, creamy soy milk