Kvass is an old Russian drink that is famous for its ability to quench thirst and maintain human strength.
As is clear from the name, this drink should be boiled, that is, to ferment, which explains its effervescence and sour, tonic taste.
In order for the souring process to go right, it is customary to add yeast, sugar or honey, black sourdough bread or ready wort to it.
General principles of making kvass from concentrate
Cooking kvass does not require special culinary talents. It is easy to prepare, you can even entrust the child. The main problem is to choose a suitable temperature regime, as it is not necessary to put kvass in the heat, but in a too cool place it will wander too long. However, when this problem is solved, you will be able to please home-made kvass from kvass concentrate, even every day. Why is it better to cook kvass from kvass wort concentrate? Because it takes about five days to prepare a drink from the leaven, and kvass from kvass concentrate can be prepared in two or three days.
In addition to these two options (for wort and sourdough) kvass, which is called bread, as it is prepared on the basis of rye bread, grain or rye flour, there are a huge amount of fruit, berry, vegetable kvass: apple, currant, pear, beetroot, sea buckthorn, even birch - on the basis of birch sap. There, fermentation is also provided by yeast and, often, a slice of rye bread, but wort is usually not added to these types of kvass.
How to cook kvass from the wort? What ingredients are required for this?
First, water. Water for kvass from kvass concentrate needs to be taken boiled, of course, it must be boiled for a few seconds and only once, so that the water does not become too heavy. In extreme cases, you can use drinking water sold in bottles.
Secondly, yeast is needed. Those who are thinking about how to make kvass from the wort: dry or pressed yeast, can be assured: both of them are quite suitable for making kvass. You just need to make sure that the pressed yeast is alive, because if they are not stored properly, they die. Bread, if it is required by the recipe, you need to dry it, even dry it a little, then kvass from kvass wort concentrate will taste better. Naturally, we are talking about rye bread.
Often, various additives, such as herbs, are used. To improve the taste of kvass from kvass wort concentrate, mint, lemon balm, currant leaf, ivan tea, horseradish and some spices are used.
It is not bad to put a few highlights in a container with kvass. And it is advisable to use raisins with stones, rather than kish-mish.
So, what ingredients we need, we have determined. Now let's see how to make kvass from the wort at home for the joy of everyone at home.
Recipe 1. Kvass from “Ordinary” kvass wort concentrate
Ingredients
- Kvass wort - 2 large spoons with top
- Rye bread - 3 pieces, preferably even 3 crusts, cut them from the side and top of the loaf
- Yeast is “fast,” dry (for example, “Saf-moment”; you can also find those that say “for making kvass”, but this is optional) - 2 incomplete tea spoons
- Sugar - incomplete glass; if you like sweet, then you can and full
Preparation Method
- First, you need to place the bread slices or crusts on a baking sheet and put in an oven with an average temperature (say, 150 degrees). They need to be kept there until the crackers are obtained, you can even wait for them to burn slightly (just a little), then remove the crackers from the oven and let them cool at least until warm.
- Put water to boil.
- To make the simplest kvass from the wort, you need to take a clean and dry glass jar or enamelled can (pan) with a volume of at least 3 liters.
- In this capacity, you must first pour approximately two and a half liters of boiled water. It is better to pour hot water, because it will be easier to dissolve sugar in it.
- Pour sugar into water and stir it thoroughly. Leave the sweet water to cool to a very warm temperature, after which place two full spoons, literally on top, of a spoonful of wort and mix it thoroughly, making sure that there is no unmixed wort at the bottom. After that, put in a jar, in which kvass is prepared, dried crusts of black bread.
- Wait until the temperature of the billet for homemade kvass reaches approximately body temperature, and pour in the yeast; It is impossible to add them to a very warm or, especially, hot billet: the yeast will die.
- Stir the resulting liquid again and cover the top of the container. To do this, it is best to take a clean large gauze and lay it in 5-6 layers. Cover the top of the container with multi-layer gauze and secure it with a rubber band, bandage, braid - what is on hand. However, if you are going to cook kvass often, then it is necessary to allocate for this purpose a special gauze and gum, it will greatly facilitate the process.
- To put the billet for kvass in a rather warm place, but still it is desirable that direct sunshine does not fall on it, and in this position to withstand 24 - 48 hours, and after one day you should try kvass for the first time: it may be ready . In the process of keeping warm, the taste of kvass will constantly change, becoming more “intoxicating”, so you need to notice the moment when the taste of kvass will seem ideal to you. At this point, the drink should be rearranged in a cool place for another two days.
- After this period, the drink should be drained through gauze in 6-8 additions (for this purpose it is better to use another piece of gauze, and not the one that covered the container), pour into bottles, adding to each 3 raisins, put or put in the fridge. When the kvass is cool - after five hours - you can drink it.
Recipe 2. Kvass from “Starorussky” kvass concentrate
Ingredients
- Wheat grains - about 3 cups
- Kvass wort - half a cup
- Honey - one and a half glasses
- Boiled water - approximately 4 liters
Preparation Method
- First you need to cook wheat, which will take most of the time.
- The grain should be washed and left in cold water for 10 hours, then rinsed again thoroughly.
- Pour the wheat with a small amount of water and leave it in a warm place for germination, periodically checking whether sprouts have appeared (two or three millimeters long). Usually the process takes a day or two; during this time it is necessary to wash the grain grains and pour them with clean water so that they are not soured.
- Rinse sprouted wheat and rotate through a meat grinder.
- In a five-liter glass or enameled container, pour water at room temperature to about half and place the sprouted wheat, wort, and honey there. Mix everything very thoroughly and pour water almost to the top.
- Cover the container with multi-layer gauze and leave to heat for about 48 hours. To ensure the desired temperature, in winter you can put a container with kvass near the battery, and in summer - in a basin with warm water, where all the time pour boiling water.
- When a lot of foam appears on the surface of the kvass, strain the drink, pour it into several bottles and refrigerate for 6 hours.
Recipe 3. Kvass from “Vigorous” kvass wort concentrate
Ingredients
- Rye bread - approximately half a loaf
- Wort - half a cup
- Dry yeast - bag
- Sugar or honey - 1 cup (you can 2/3 cup)
- Water - 4 l
- Raisin - half a handful of an adult
- Horseradish (root) - about 100 g
Preparation Method
- Dry the bread in the oven to a dark state. Fill the croutons with hot water and leave for five hours.
- Strain, add yeast, wort, sugar or honey (some sugar can be, and some honey) and leave to ferment in a very warm place for 6-8 hours.
- Bottled, adding to each raisin and horseradish, and place in the refrigerator for two days.
Recipe 4. Kvass from “Aromatny” kvass concentrate
Ingredients
- Kvass wort - half a glass
- Yeast - 1 bag
- Water - 4 l
- Sugar - two thirds cup
- Black currant leaves - approximately 20 pieces
- Hops, ginger, cardamom - a little bit
Preparation Method
- Cardamom, ginger and hops should be put in a gauze bag and put in a saucepan with water, currant leaves should be put there (without the bag). Boil the spices and leaves for 5 minutes, then throw out the bag of spices and leave the currants leaves.
- Dissolve sugar in hot broth and cool to body temperature. Stir in wort and yeast.
- Leave for a day in a warm place, then pour, strain, into bottles and leave for 12 hours at room temperature until the bottles become solid.
- Put the brew in the fridge where it should mature for a couple more days.
Recipe 5. Kvass from kvass wort concentrate “For okroshka”
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar - half a glass
- Wort - 3 tablespoons
- Water - 3 liters
- Yeast (pressed) - 6 g
- Raisin - 10 pieces
Preparation Method
- In a jar with very warm water, stir the wort and granulated sugar. When the billet is slightly cooled (to a temperature not higher than 40 degrees), add the yeast and stir. Put the raisins and put the kvass in a warm place.
- In a day, if foam has already appeared, you should start to try kvass. When the taste is desired, strain the kvass into bottles and refrigerate for about 6 hours.
Recipe 6. Kvass from kvass concentrate “Very tasty”
For this kvass recipe from kvass concentrate, one should take not ordinary rye bread, but “Borodinsky”; honey is also undesirable to replace sugar - it will change the taste of kvass.
Ingredients
- Wort concentrate - 3 tablespoons
- “Borodino” bread - 5 pieces
- Honey - 2/3 cup
- Yeast - 1 bag
- Water - 3 l
- Raisin - half a handful
Preparation Method
- Cut bread into slices and dry in the oven. Then put the croutons in a container for making kvass, pour almost hot water and mix honey
- Cool the mixture to body temperature, put and carefully stir the wort, and then the yeast.
- Leave the fermentation billet in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours. Then, strain well and pour into bottles, in each put a few raisins. Allow 10 hours or less (until the bottles are solid) at room temperature and then two more days in the refrigerator.
Recipe 7. How to make leavening wort at home
Wort can be prepared at home if there is such a need.
Ingredients
- Rye bread - 1 kg
- Water - about 10 l.
Preparation Method
- Break bread into small pieces and fill it with hot (70 degrees) boiled water, let it stand for a quarter of an hour. Add boiling water to 750 ml and leave for 2 hours in a warm place.
- Put the resulting mass into pottery, add a little water and put in an oven heated to 180 degrees for 3 hours.
- Break the baked dough into pieces and pour almost boiling water (9 liters) for a couple of hours. Carefully drain the wort and use it to make kvass.
Tricks and useful tips on making kvass from concentrate
- While the brew is in the refrigerator, it still does not cease to ferment, so its taste will change somewhat during storage. Children and pregnant women can be given such a brew in limited quantities and only in the first couple of days of storage: then the brew will become too strong.
- Raisin for making kvass is better to take with bones; soak it is not necessary, just rinse with cold water.
- Spices (hops, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc.) can be added to the brew in limited quantities, otherwise the taste of the drink will be distorted.
