Kefir

Ingredients

Ferment

• 2 tbsplive kefir grains
• 1 litrewhole milk

Equipment

• a glass jar
• a plastic or nylon sieve
• a wooden or plastic spoon

To serve

• plain from the glass
• or with honey and berries

Directions

1. Put the grains in a clean jar and pour over the milk, leaving a few centimetres of headspace.
2. Cover with a cloth or a loose lid — never sealed tight. Kefir produces carbon dioxide, and a properly sealed jar can build enough pressure to burst.
3. Leave at room temperature, around 20 to 24°C (68 to 75°F), for 18 to 24 hours. It is ready when it has thickened, tastes tart and fizzy, and the whey is just beginning to separate at the bottom.
4. Strain it through a plastic or nylon sieve, stirring gently with a plastic or wooden spoon to help it through. Use no metal in prolonged contact with the grains — a stainless sieve for a moment is fine, but metal spoons and metal jars weaken the culture over time.
5. The rubbery cauliflower-like lumps left in the sieve are the grains. Rinse nothing. Put them straight into fresh milk and start again.
6. Chill the strained kefir and drink it within a week. It goes on souring in the fridge.
7. The grains grow. Every few weeks you will have more than you need — give some away, which is how kefir grains have travelled since they left the Caucasus.
8. If you need a break, put the grains in fresh milk in the fridge, where they will sit for two or three weeks without feeding.

Technique

• Never seal the jar tight. Pressure build-up is the one real hazard here.
• No prolonged metal contact, and do not rinse the grains. Both weaken the culture.
• You cannot make grains from shop-bought kefir. They have to come from someone who already has them, which is exactly how the culture has spread for a century.

Substitutions

• Goat’s or sheep’s milk, both of which work.
• A shop-bought kefir starter sachet, which makes kefir once but does not produce grains that continue.
• Water kefir grains, which are a different culture entirely and ferment sugar water.

Variations

• Left a second day off the grains it develops more fizz and a little alcohol — under 1%, but present.
• Strained through muslin it becomes a thick soft cheese.

History

Kefir grains were obtained from the North Caucasus in 1908 for a Moscow dairy, reportedly through a scheme involving a kidnapped envoy.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kefir?

Kefir is a fermented & pickled from Russia: tart, slightly fizzy fermented milk drunk plain from the bottle. Kefir grains were obtained from the North Caucasus in 1908 for a Moscow dairy, reportedly through a scheme involving a kidnapped envoy.

How long does Kefir take to make?

Kefir takes 10 min a day of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes 1 litre, and grains that run indefinitely. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kefir?

Yes, within limits. Goat’s or sheep’s milk, both of which work. A shop-bought kefir starter sachet, which makes kefir once but does not produce grains that continue. Water kefir grains, which are a different culture entirely and ferment sugar water.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kefir?

Cover with a cloth or a loose lid — never sealed tight. Kefir produces carbon dioxide, and a properly sealed jar can build enough pressure to burst.