Ingredients
Base
- 600 gdark rye bread, preferably borodinsky
- 4 litreswater
- 200 gsugar
Ferment
- 10 gfresh yeast, or 5 g dried
- 100 graisins
Belarusian flavourings
- 2 tbsprye malt
- 1 tbsphoney
- a few blackcurrant leaves, optional
Directions
- Slice the rye bread and dry it in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 30 minutes, until hard and dark at the edges.
- Toast it well but stop short of carbonised. Use borodinsky or another coriander-scented dark rye if you can get it, because the bread is the recipe.
- Bring the water to the boil, pour it over the toasted bread with the rye malt, and leave it covered for 8 hours or overnight.
- Strain it through a cloth, letting it drip rather than pressing. Stir the sugar and honey into the still-warm liquid until dissolved, then cool it to about 30°C (85°F).
- Whisk in the yeast, add the blackcurrant leaves if using, cover with a cloth, and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. It is ready when it tastes sour and prickly and there is foam on the surface.
- Use plastic and squeeze them to judge the pressure. Kvas keeps fermenting in the bottle and glass in a warm room can build enough pressure to burst.
- Leave them at room temperature 8 to 12 hours until firm, then refrigerate and drink within a week. It sits well under one per cent alcohol, which is why it is treated as a soft drink.
Technique
- Belarusian kvas leans darker and more malty than most, which is what the rye malt is for.
- The raisins in the bottle feed a final burst of carbonation without pressure equipment.
- It is still sold from tanks on the street in summer in Minsk.
Substitutions
- Any dark sourdough rye, with a spoonful of molasses for colour.
- Barley malt extract in place of rye malt.
Variations
- With mint and lemon for a lighter summer version.
- Used as the liquid for okroshka.
- Gira, kali and kvass, the neighbouring versions.
History
Brewed from rye bread and sold from street barrels in summer, and also used as the base for cold soups.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kvas?
Kvas is a drink from Belarus: fermented rye-bread drink, sour and lightly sparkling. Brewed from rye bread and sold from street barrels in summer, and also used as the base for cold soups.
How long does Kvas take to make?
Kvas takes 20 min plus 8 hr steeping and 24 hr fermenting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 4 litres. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kvas?
Yes, within limits. Any dark sourdough rye, with a spoonful of molasses for colour. Barley malt extract in place of rye malt.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kvas?
Strain it through a cloth, letting it drip rather than pressing. Stir the sugar and honey into the still-warm liquid until dissolved, then cool it to about 30°C (85°F).
