It is unlikely that any drink in its taste and useful properties can be compared with traditional Russian kvass. This is a true elixir of health, which will help to cope with thirst, will invigorate after a hard day and will be an excellent basis for light and nutritious summer soups.

Unfortunately, the culture of making homemade kvass is gradually becoming a thing of the past. More and more often we buy store drinks, which are full of synthetic additives, dyes and preservatives. Naturally, such a “drink” cannot be compared with real kvass made according to old recipes. But at home, preparing sourdough for kvass is quite simple. You only need to know a few secrets, be patient and soon enjoy your own fragrant product.

Sourdough for kvass - a classic recipe

A classic is considered a recipe in which there is dry brown bread, yeast and sugar. It is as a result of the fermentation process caused by a set of these ingredients that everyone gets a favorite drink.

To prepare a large jug of kvass, you will need:

  • pure filtered water - 3 l;
  • black bread - 0.3 kg;
  • yeast - dry you need to take 2 teaspoons, fresh - 15 g;
  • sugar - sand - 1 cup.

Recipe:

  1. First of all, we prepare the leaven for kvass. For this we need a bread base. It is necessary to cut rye bread into small pieces ahead of time and air dry to a brittle condition. If you didn’t have time to do this beforehand, simply place the slices on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at medium temperature until the sides are browned.
  2. Place crackers in a container (you can take a three-liter jar for this), fill it with warm or hot water and leave it overnight, covering the neck with a cloth towel.
  3. In the morning, strain the mixture through a clean gauze or strainer.
  4. Add sugar and yeast to the liquid and leave to “wander” in a warm place for another 4-6 hours.
  5. After the required time has passed, we filter again and pour the clean drink into a bottle or jug, and the cloudy precipitate into a separate jar. It must be preserved, because this is the leaven, on which we will subsequently prepare a new portion.
  6. Chilled bread kvass. If you wish, you can throw several steamed dried fruits, slices of fresh apple or pear into a jug. This will enhance the aroma and add piquancy.

Note! Kvass can be stored in the refrigerator or cellar for up to 4 days, and every day the taste of the drink will become sharper and more saturated.

Rye sourdough with hops at home

 

Hopped rye sourdough, despite its name, does not contain an increased amount of alcohol, that is, it does not “hops”. So, such a drink can be consumed without fear.

It is interesting: brown bread kvass recipe

Take:

  • hop cones (they are sold at any pharmacy) - 2.5 table. spoons;
  • rye crackers - 350 - 400 g;
  • flour - 1 full table. a spoon;
  • sugar - 2 full tables. spoons with a slide;
  • dry yeast - 10 g;
  • filtered water - 3 l.

Recipe:

  1. In half a glass of warm water, dilute the yeast, one tablespoon of sugar and flour. Mix thoroughly and set aside for a while.
  2. Place the crackers in a three-liter jar, pour the remaining sugar there, add the hop cones (they can be chopped beforehand) and pour 2/3 volumes of boiling water. Cover with a napkin and leave at room temperature.
  3. After a few hours, when the liquid in the jar has completely cooled, pour the previously prepared yeast solution into it, mix, cover the neck and let it brew for a couple of days.
  4. Strain and cool the finished drink, and save the leaven.

Advice! Make sure that carbon dioxide comes out of the sourdough during fermentation. To do this, you need to periodically shake the jar and in no case close it tightly.

Recipe for sourdough raisins

In this embodiment, the starter is prepared without the addition of yeast, because of which the drink is better perceived by our body and can be recommended for dietary nutrition. Sourdough on raisins is prepared a little longer than traditional, but kvass on it turns out to be more natural and soft to taste.

Ingredients:

  • crackers from a half loaf of Borodinsky bread;
  • high-quality raisins - a full handful or 3 tables. spoons;
  • sugar - half a glass;
  • boiling water - 1 liter.

Recipe:

  1. Pour dried bread into a liter jar, add sugar, raisins and pour boiling water over it.
  2. Leave for fermentation in a warm place for three days.
  3. When the contents start to smell strongly “sour”, and foam appears on the surface, the yeast is ready.
  4. We separate the soaked bread, and dilute the remaining liquid with cold boiled water. For a more pleasant taste, kvass can be further sweetened.

 

Note! Some hostesses strongly advise against washing raisins before fermentation. This opinion is based on, because bacteria live on the surface of dry berries, with the help of which the fermentation process takes place. But how hygienic it is - you decide.

Cooking yeast for kvass without yeast

Kvass on rye sourdough without yeast also does not require any special effort and cost. To do this, we need to make the so-called "rye thick" - it is on its basis that we will prepare the drink.

Prepare:

  • rye flour - 250 g;
  • sugar - 5 table. spoons;
  • raisins to speed up the fermentation process - about 20 pieces;
  • water.

Recipe:

  1. Pour rye flour, sugar, raisins into a liter jar and pour warm water until it becomes thick sour cream in consistency.
  2. Stir thoroughly until smooth so that no lumps remain.
  3. Leave in a warm place, covered with a napkin or gauze.
  4. In two to three days, the leaven will be ready.

Advice! Raisins from the finished wort are best removed and discarded. Otherwise, the leaven can peroxide and the kvass will get an unpleasant aftertaste.

Sourdough recipe for white bread at home

 

If for some reason you don’t use rye flour products in your home, then the recipe for sourdough on white bread is just for you. The color of the drink with this cooking method becomes pleasant - golden, and the taste is not so harsh.

Products:

  • dried slices of white bread - half a bar;
  • dry yeast - not more than a teaspoon;
  • sugar - 5 table. spoons;
  • raisins - optional.

Recipe:

  1. Pour boiling water over crackers and let them swell for about half an hour.
  2. Add sugar, yeast and raisins to the dishes. Stir, cover tightly with a lid and leave to ferment.
  3. After two days, strain the starter, pour the kvass into bottles and refrigerate.

Advice! Sourdough is best stored in glass or ceramic dishes. Pans made of stainless steel, and even more so with a Teflon coating, are not recommended for making kvass.

Sourdough for kvass without yeast with honey

To make the taste more saturated and peculiar, you can experiment and prepare a yeast for kvass without yeast with honey. To do this, replace sugar with natural honey, and add apple peel, grapes, lemon and fresh mint as additives.

For a tasty and healthy honey kvass, you will need:

  • fresh honey - 3 full tables. spoons;
  • clean peel from 3 to 4 medium-sized apples - take only domestic varieties grown in your area, since leaven may not work on imported fruit skin;
  • grapes (raisins) - 100 - 150 g;
  • lemon - a couple of slices;
  • mint - 5 - 6 leaves;
  • water - 0.5 l.

Recipe:

  1. Dissolve honey in warm water, add all other ingredients (except peppermint), stir and leave for three days to ferment in a warm place.
  2. After the leaven is prepared, proceed as usual - filter and cool, adding a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon.

Having learned how to make leaven for kvass, now you can easily prepare a natural, tasty and healthy drink at home. And your loved ones will be grateful to you for its refreshing taste, which they will fully appreciate in the hot summer weather.