• Grate or thinly chop the tofu: Use a cheese grater to shred the block of super-firm tofu. (If using a box grater, use the medium-sized shredding holes and not the finer ones.)

  If you don't own a cheese grater, you can cut the tofu into very thin slices — as thin as possible. Then stack the slices and give them a coarse chop.
• Make the marinade: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the marinade: olive oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and optional MSG.
• Marinate the tofu: Add in your shredded tofu and mix to coat. Turn the oven on to preheat to 400°F and let the tofu marinate on the counter in the meantime.
• Grease the cookie sheet: Once the oven is preheated, prep your sheet pan by brushing it with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

  Tip 1: Use a large sheet pan so that there is enough room to spread the tofu out in a thin layer.

  Tip 2: Leave a 1" border of empty space around the edges of the sheet pan. Tofu pieces closer to the raised edges of the pan tend to brown faster (and can potentially burn).
• Bake the tofu: Bake for 35-40 minutes. Give the tofu pieces a good flip and stir every 10 minutes, and then spread them out again in a thin even layer (again, keeping a bit of a border from the edges of the baking sheet). Every oven is a little different, so keep an eye on the tofu during the last 10 minutes to make sure it doesn't get too dark.

  Note: If you are using a smaller baking tray and the tofu is less spread out, it can require extra time, up to 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven: The tofu will crisp up a bit more if you let it sit on the hot tray for a few minutes before enjoying.
• How to enjoy: My favorite way to enjoy these tofu bacon bits is sprinkled on top of a soup or salad to boost the protein and flavor.

Storage

• Tofu bacon can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to a week. The pieces tend to lose their crunch when refrigerated and will instead become a bit chewy.