Kefir

I'm feeling very pleased with myself. Today I made bread with a kefir starter. I put a good slurp of kefir in a bowl with wholemeal flour to a thick batter consistency, covered and put it in the cupboard. Sure enough after some hours there were burst bubbles on the top and it had grown. About 12 hours later I mixed it up with 1/3 wholemeal, 1/3 spelt and 1/3 rye flour, and some more water to make a sticky dough. Left that for about 12 hours, and it grew again. Tipped it out onto the work top and just folded enough to get it into a loaf shape, and plonked it into a casserole pot prehheated in 240 oven, put the lid on and left to bake for 30 minutes. Took lid off , turned oven down to 220, and left to bake for a further 20 minutes. I'm well impressed. Great crust, lots of air holes, and very tasty, with a distinctive flavour which I'm guessing comes from the kefir and the long fermentation. Although it may also be due in part to the flours used. I didn't even measure any of the ingredients! Next time I think I'll just make the dough straight away with some kefir and water, leave to rise and then put in the oven. Unless someone knows a good reason why not.:angel:
 
Started my Kefir off today hopefully the first small tasting tommorow. I also have a simular sort of project on the go a friendship cake into it's third day of development takes around 8 days to complete then I pass two samples of this live yeast culture on to someone else for them to start the same process the final cake looks quite nice.

Jamie.
 
They say it takes a while for the kefir to settle down with 'new milk'; yesterday was the first time I could shake my kefir and have it turn to a yoghurty/milky consistency. Up to then it has been very bitty....you may see what I mean. It has a more sour taste than yoghurt, and a funny fermented slight fizz....I can certainly think of better ways to get merry. Just cover with a cloth rather than a tight lid should minimise that, but I can still taste it. However, bitty or not, it's fine in a banana and raspberry smoothie. I've got another lot on the go with some flour to make my third loaf of bread. I've heard that a kefir starter does not last indefinitely like a yeast one. So best made fresh each time, which isn't really any more bother than 'feeding' a sourdough yeast every time you use it. Not sure if your left the kefir starter out uncovered for a day or two whether the naturally occurring yeast would get to work along with the kefir. So I don't know what a real sour dough bread tastes like, but I'm really liking this kefir bread I'm making. Can't see me going back to shop bread except in extremis.
 
This really is an interesting product :
http://www.midvalleyvu.com/Kefir.html
Give a interesting twist as to way we should be using this product.
 
Ingredients: kefir and wholewheat flour starter (left to rise for about 12 hours), 1 cup wholewheat, 1 cup rye, 1 cup spelt, 2 tsp salt, water as necessary to make a sticky wet dough then left to rise for another 12 hours

Bread2.jpg


Bread1.jpg


I'm off now to make a blueberry and kefir smoothie.
 
I have had three days of use from my milk kefir grains, it's true what they say it gets better over a number of days of using it, the third batch was the best so far it was lovely and thick and creamy quite delicious


Jamie
 
Hi Sharon

How are you getting on with the Kefir? Since your original post I did a bit of research and bit the bullett and got some grains.
I have been successfully making around a half to a pint of kefir every day for the last month. Don't know about you but the stomach has a bit of a battle for a week or two as the new probiotic bacteria take over the old bad stuff.
I love the stuff when its wizzed into a smoothie with a handful of fruit and I mix it in with some skimmed milk to use on my weetabix in the morning. Not mad on the taste on its own but it is manageable but prefer it with fruit as a smoothie.
My grains are multiplying well and I hope to start seeing the benefits now my stomach is settled.
In my opinion anything that multiplies itself like kefir or kombucha is natures way of producing a product for sharing and good health.


Nick
 
Apart from a better digestive system (won't go into that) do you guys feel any other benefits from taking kefir everyday?
Tesco never miss an oportunity lol, still prefer to make my own. I find goats milk gives it a better texture but still tastes the same.


Nick
 
SpeedyBabylon5 said:
Apart from a better digestive system (won't go into that) do you guys feel any other benefits from taking kefir everyday?
Tesco never miss an oportunity lol, still prefer to make my own. I find goats milk gives it a better texture but still tastes the same.

Nick
Click to expand...

Well, I guess other benefits would be derivative from a better digestive system and will possibly show with time (it's not an aspirin pill, takes a while for changes). I do love the taste itself too.
 
Well, confession time.....I KILLED MINE WITH NEGLECT!!! Could anyone offer me a few grains to start again? I also didn't like the taste on it's own much - mine had all the sourness of yoghurt with none of the creaminess, but I'm sure I could stomach it in fruit smoothies. I'ld be happy to trade a couple of 'splodges in bags' if that isn't against the religion of kefir.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom