Apple-based kvass is a wonderful drink of natural fermentation. In terms of popularity, it is inferior to its bread progenitor, although it is quite capable of competing with it in terms of taste. The reason, most likely, is that bread-based kvasses are produced on an industrial scale, and a bit more laborious in making an apple drink is more often made at home.
In addition, apple kvass has a reputation, almost a low-alcohol beverage. Not at all, the alcohol content in the finished product depends on the technology and can be significantly in any kind of kvass. At the same time, apple-baked kvass is often completely “dry”.
The use of apples with a strong personal taste has a noticeable effect on the flavor of the drink. Another unusual, but remarkable detail is that fruit ice cubes are often dipped into a glass of apple kvass before serving. Fruit drink is more suitable than the bread.
Apple Kvass - General Cooking Principles
• There are a lot of options for making bubbly homemade kvass. It can be made from both fresh apples and apple juice or dried fruit. Moreover, they use both whole fresh apples and their separate parts - pulp or peel.
• Fresh apples cut into slices, minced with a meat grinder or tinder on a small grater. After which they are boiled compote or pour warm syrup. From dried fruit only cook compote. Apple juice is not subjected to heat treatment, it is enough that it was not cold.
• Then the prepared raw material is mixed with the other components in a certain sequence and act according to the described technology.
• Many recipes imply more or less long fermentation. However, there are not just quick, but even instant ways to prepare a refreshing drink.
• Fermentation of apple raw materials for kvass is produced mainly by yeast, alum malt or independently prepared sourdough bread. Often, accelerators (catalysts) are not added at all, preferring the natural fermentation of the product. • To speed up fermentation, granulated sugar or honey must be added to cooked apple raw materials. Raisins are added to impart a “heartiness” to the finished product, as well as to enhance fermentation.
• For the preparation of kvass, use only non-oxidized dishes (enameled containers or glass containers). The top must cover with gauze so that it does not get trash or midges. If you cover with a lid, be sure to leave a small gap for the release of carbon dioxide.
• Fermentation of raw materials produced only in heat. Often the banks with him put on the windowsill, substituting direct sunlight.
• Ready kvass must be filtered and poured into prepared containers, cleaned in the refrigerator. The shelf life of homemade apple kvass depends on the method of its manufacture, but, as a rule, does not exceed ten days.
Apple kvass on yeast
Ingredients:
• a pound of ripe apples;
• 100 gr. sugar sand;
• 10 gr. fresh alcoholic yeast.
Cooking Method:
1. Cut clean, water-washed apples into two. From each half, remove the core with the seeds and cut into medium-sized slices.
2. In boiling water (2 liters), lower the apple slices and, after waiting to boil again, boil for another six minutes.
3. Pour the sugar and continue cooking, stirring the fruit broth with a spoon.
4. As all the grains of sugar dissolve, boil for another two minutes and remove from heat.
5. Apple compote cool to about 30 degrees (not lower). Dissolve crushed pressed yeast in it and cover the container with gauze.
6. Place the fermented kvass pan in the heat for twelve hours.
7. Then filter, folded in several layers, with gauze.
8. Pour into clean bottles and, tightly capped, put in the refrigerator.
9. After another eight hours, apple kvass will be ready.
Instant fermented apple kvass
Ingredients:
• three liters of finished bread kvass;
• sugar - 200 grams;
• kilogram of ripe sweet apples. Cooking Method:
1. Take a large clean pan and grate ripe apples with peel into it on a medium grater.
2. Dissolve the apple mass with natural fermentation kvass.
3. Sweeten and, having thoroughly stirred, strain on a very fine sieve, and best of all through gauze.
4. Bottle and store in the refrigerator.
5. Such kvass is stored for not more than a week.
Natural apple kvass with lemon
Ingredients:
• a pound of sugar;
• one big lemon;
• five kg of fresh apples.
Cooking Method:
1. Cut the apples that are not wormy or untouched by decay longitudinally into four pieces and place the slices in a deep enamel basin.
2. Dissolve sugar in two liters of water and pour apples with syrup. There should be enough fluid so that it only covers the fruit. If necessary, add more water.
3. With a thin layer of lemon, cut off the peel and lower it to the apples. You can also squeeze out some juice from the pulp of the lemon.
4. After that, cover the container with gauze and place it for fermentation in a cool place. The fermentation process lasts no more than three days.
5. After that, get the apples and squeeze them well. Strain the kvass remaining in the pan, close in bottles and store for storage.
Apple brew yeast from dried apples
Ingredients:
• dried apples - 200 gr .;
• 50 gr. light raisins;
• three liters of filtered water;
• pressed bakery yeast - 5 gr.
Cooking Method:
1. Apple “drying”, rinse, cover with water and boil for a little heat for a quarter of an hour. Then remove from heat and cool. Compote should not be hot or cold, the optimum temperature of the drink is 30 degrees.
2. Dissolve the yeast with a small amount of heated, pure water. Add a spoonful of sugar, stir and let the yeast mixture rise.
3. Without taking out apples, mix compote with the prepared yeast. Sweeten to your liking, and leave to wander in warmth.
4. After a day, at least 12 hours, drain the brew and distribute in large glass bottles. Put in each several raisins and place in the refrigerator.
Fast apple kvass from juice on yeast
Ingredients:
• one liter of clarified apple juice;
• a teaspoon of dry high-speed yeast;
• two teaspoons of instant coffee.
Cooking Method:
1. Apple juice dilute with three liters of warm boiled water. Pour the sugar, coffee, yeast and stir well. Cover the pot with a lid, leaving a small gap, and leave it warm for 12 hours.
2. Then strain the kvass through a gauze filter and let cool in the fridge.
Apple kvass on homemade leaven
Ingredients:
• two large apples;
• half a cup of granulated sugar;
• 100 gr. light raisins;
• half a loaf of “Borodino” bread;
• 100 gr. honey (dark).
Cooking Method:
1. First cook the sourdough. To do this, dissolve the sugar with a glass of boiled cooled water. Cut off the peel from the apples and cover it with sugar syrup. Add enumerated raisins and leave in a warm place. After 3-4 days ferment will be ready.
2. Slice the bread into centimeter slices and dry well in the oven. Chillies cool and twist in a meat grinder.
3. Strain the finished starter. Mix the liquid with breadcrumbs and transfer the mixture into a three-liter glass bottle.
4. Add raisins with honey and fill the container, filling two centimeters to the brim with warm filtered water.
5. Cover the neck with layers of gauze and place on a window sill well lit by the sun.
6. After five days, the finished kvass is drained from the sediment and set to cool.
7. In the ferment remaining on the bottom of the jar, pour in a new batch of crumbs and cover them with water. After secondary use, it is customary to discard the leaven.
Refreshing Apple Kvass with Mint and Ginger
Ingredients:
• four large ripe apples;
• one liter of water;
• 50 gr. fresh ginger;
• juice 1/8 of lemon;
• a teaspoon of buckwheat honey;
• a handful of light raisins;
• half a teaspoon of fast-acting dry yeast;
• 100 gr. white sugar;
• A small bunch of fresh mint. Cooking Method:
1. Rinse the mint with cold water, raisins - hot and dry well.
2. Finely rub the peeled ginger on a grater. Cut the minted mint into small strips or small pieces.
3. Peeled apples without a core cut into medium-sized pieces and put in a large enamel saucepan.
4. Pour in a liter of boiling water and boil over medium heat for six minutes from boiling. Then turn off the heat and cool the apple broth.
5. In a small bowl or liter jar pour half a cup of chilled broth and dissolve the yeast in it. Add a teaspoon of sugar, mix and set aside closer to heat for a quarter of an hour. You can turn on the burner and put the yeast at a short distance from it.
6. Pour the yeast into the apple broth. Add, pour sugar, pour honey and lemon juice. Pour the chopped mint with raisins, put the grated ginger.
7. Mix well and cover with a lid, but loosely. Be sure to leave a small gap between the lid and the edge of the container. Kvass will ferment and the carbon dioxide released in this process must come out of the pan.
8. After 12 hours of fermentation, kvass is almost ready. It remains to filter and remove storage in the cold.
“Monastic apple kvass” with malt on rye flour
Ingredients:
• one large sweet apple;
• a glass of finished kvass malt;
• medium sized lemon;
• large spoon of liquid honey;
• two large spoons of raisins;
• a full glass of sifted rye (can be buckwheat or oatmeal) flour;
• 3-4 pinches of crushed raspberry leaves;
• water - 2 liters.
Cooking Method:
1. Pour rye flour into a small bowl and fill it with one and a half cups of boiling water. Stir well and cool.
2. Cut the washed apple and lemon into medium slices and twist in a meat grinder along with the washed raisins.
3. Add raspberry leaves and honey to the crushed ingredients.
4. Add malt and transfer the cooled rye mass from the bowl. Pour in the remaining water and mix well. 5. Cover the container with gauze and leave to ferment in a warm place.
6. After four days, drain the finished drink from the sediment, strain, and pour it into prepared clean bottles. The remaining starter can be used again.
Apple Kvass - cooking tricks and helpful tips
• To make the home-made apple kvass taste sharper and turn out slightly carbonated - strengthen the fermentation process by adding more sugar and raisins.
• Do not dilute malt and yeast in boiling water, otherwise they will die and alum wort will not ferment. Therefore, a good drink will not work.
• The temperature of fermentation also affects the carbonation of the drink. The higher the air temperature, the more fermentation takes place and, consequently, the aeration of kvass increases.
• The darker color of apple kvass can be given with burnt sugar, it is added to the still hot apple tea.
• During fermentation, be sure to cover the container with gauze, otherwise the midges will get into the drink.
• To saturate the taste of apple kvass, in the process of cooking it is usually added a little berry puree, cooked alone or other fruits. For example, quince or pear.
• The color of kvass does not always turn out the same, and this depends not only on the fruit and other ingredients added to it, but also on the variety of apples.
• It is not necessary to take sweet apples, you can also take their sour varieties, but the amount of sugar or honey should be increased.
