Useful properties of a summer refreshing drink. Features of the preparation of ingredients, TOP-3 popular recipes for homemade kvass from bread on live yeast. The most pressing questions regarding its preparation.
Homemade kvass from bread on live yeast is a slightly carbonated drink with a sweet and sour taste and specific aroma, which is traditionally made using rye bread or malt as a result of alcoholic and lactic acid fermentation. To improve the taste, spices, dried fruits and various herbs are sometimes added. The drink is most often prepared in the hot season, because it refreshes very well and quickly quenches thirst. Further, in detail about how to prepare bread, which yeast to choose, whether it is necessary to pre-wash the raisins, the peculiarities of making kvass on bread and yeast, and the most popular recipes.
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Useful properties of homemade kvass from bread with live yeast
In the photo, bread kvass with live yeast
Bread kvass with live yeast is a drink with a long history. Many consider it to be primordially Slavic, but this contradicts historical data, which indicate that kvass was prepared in different countries long before the appearance of Russia and the first mentions of it in our history. It was used by both ordinary people and kings, since it is highly beneficial for the body. A wide list of useful properties is explained not only by the ingredients included in the composition, but also by the cooking technology itself.
The drink, loved by many, is made using rye bread, live yeast and sugar. Thanks to this combination of products, alcoholic and lactic acid fermentation occurs during the aging process. This allows you to get a slightly carbonated drink with a sweet and sour taste and a specific bread aroma. Spices, dried fruits and various herbs are sometimes added to improve the palatability and increase the sharpness. Each ingredient multiplies the usefulness of bread kvass with fresh yeast.
Useful properties of a homemade drink made from natural ingredients without the use of preservatives:
- Improving digestion … Bread kvass has an excellent effect on digestion, accelerates the breakdown of foods and the absorption of nutrients. It can also be used instead of kefir, because it helps to normalize the microflora in the intestines, preventing the multiplication of pathogens.
- Normalization of the nervous system … A refreshing drink allows you not only to quench your thirst, but also to improve your mood, activate brain activity, increase efficiency, tone your muscles and provide persistent excitement of the nerve centers for an active life.
- Improving metabolism … The drink stimulates the breakdown of proteins, regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, protects cell membranes from oxidation, and reduces sugar levels.
- Replenishment of nutrient reserves … Using bread kvass with live yeast, you can eliminate the deficiency of vitamins B, PP, E, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, lactic acid and amino acids, etc.
- Boost immunity … The drink has antiseptic properties and allows the body to fight viruses and bacteria more effectively. It also protects immune cells from the influence of negative factors.
- Other beneficial properties … Improving vision, strengthening hair, nails and teeth, cleansing blood vessels in atherosclerosis, eliminating rashes and inflammation on the skin, normalizing the functioning of the heart, vascular system and thyroid gland.
Among the contraindications to drinking the drink are peptic ulcer, gastritis, colitis, enteritis, pregnancy, lactation. It is not advisable to drink it for people with cancer, pathologies of the liver and biliary tract, diseases of the urinary system. Allergy sufferers should also think about the appropriateness of use.
With care, homemade kvass on bread and live yeast is given to young children, because it belongs to low-alcohol drinks: the alcohol content can reach 4%. Homemade drink can cause mild alcohol intoxication, so drinking it before driving is not recommended.
Preparing bread for kvass with live yeast
The main ingredient for making a summer refreshing drink is, of course, bread. It is its crumb that gives the taste of kvass pleasant and appetizing bread notes, useful substances, and also allows you to enhance the necessary fermentation processes.
Borodino bread is considered one of the best options. It has an unusual sweet-spicy taste and a very interesting peculiar aroma. Its crumb is rather loose and dark. To prepare the dough, two types of flour are used - rye wallpaper and second-grade wheat flour; red rye malt, molasses, yeast, sugar, salt and cumin or coriander are also added to the recipe. Kvass on Borodino bread with live yeast turns out not only very tasty and rich, but also quite beautiful in appearance. At the same time, some cooks recommend removing the spice powder from the top crust before use.
In addition, you can take other varieties of black bread for making homemade kvass with yeast. It is very important that it contains malt, but you can do without it.
When making homemade kvass from bread and yeast, you can use both exclusively black crusts and add other varieties. For example, if you take pieces of white croutons, then the color of the drink will turn out to be golden, wheat, and the taste will be less intense, softer.
It is worth noting that it is not recommended to take a product that contains various additives, for example, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, herbs, etc.
The crumb should be yesterday or the day before yesterday. It is better to dry it beforehand. If you do this in the air, then the process will be delayed, and the bread will lose a little in taste, which, of course, will affect the taste of the drink. For this reason, it is better to pour the crushed product into cubes on a baking sheet in one layer and dry in the oven. In the process, it is advisable to mix it and prevent it from burning. Both the taste and the color of the finished kvass from black bread with live yeast will depend on the degree of "roasting".
It is important to remember that you need to dry the product without adding seasonings and exclusively on a dry, clean baking sheet. Adding oil is strongly discouraged.
Some cooks prefer to grind ready-made croutons into crumbs using a blender. This will allow the product to maximize its flavor to the liquid.
The use of live yeast for making bread kvass
Any type of yeast that is commercially available, such as fresh, dry, baker's or brewer's yeast, is a type of unicellular fungus. By itself, this product contains many amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids, polysaccharides, as well as various minerals (phosphorus, zinc, iron, etc.).
But it is the live pressed yeast that has the greatest nutritional value. Despite the fact that they are quite capricious in storage and use, they have other advantages, thanks to which they are considered the best option for making homemade kvass with live yeast with rye bread. As for the other types of product, it is undesirable to use them, because for example, dry yeast and baker's yeast tend to have a deep and heavy odor and may also slightly impair the taste of the beverage.
Fresh compressed yeast is made up of living organisms. Also, the product contains about 60% water. Due to this, it has the highest activity in terms of activating the fermentation process.
The color of live yeast is grayish-beige, uniform. Choose a product that has no dents or dry spots on its surface. The consistency should resemble plasticine. If the briquette crumbles or is smeared like a paste, then it is better to refuse to use it. Also, for making kvass from bread and yeast, it is undesirable to take a product with mold, dried or darkened.
The wrapper must be breathable. Avoid buying a hermetically sealed product. Storage conditions for live yeast - no longer than 1, 5 months at a temperature not higher than 10 degrees. At higher temperatures, their shelf life is reduced to 1 day.
Some housewives put the briquette in the freezer, which can lead to its deterioration. If the product is not of the first freshness, but the shelf life is not over yet, then the quantity of yeast when preparing bread kvass should be taken 1.5-2 times more than indicated in the recipe.
Making homemade kvass from bread and live yeast is quite simple. When used correctly, they not only stimulate the fermentation process, but also speed up cooking and add a special flavor. But it is important to note that the amount of this ingredient should be limited - it is highly undesirable to use more volume than indicated in the recipe. Also remember, the first two batches of cold drink will have the richest yeast flavor.
Live yeast dies at high temperatures. When preparing the starter culture, you need to use water with a temperature not higher than 40 degrees. The best option is 25-30 degrees. It is also important to consider that yeast is not activated in cold water and, as a result, does not start the fermentation process. By the way, you can speed up the activation with the addition of sugar.
Note! Many housewives do not recommend additionally drying bread in the oven in combination with live yeast.
How to use raisins when making kvass from bread using live yeast?
Dried grape berries are also often used in the preparation of bread kvass. A natural and unprocessed product contains a fairly high amount of sugar and some enzymes. Also on its surface are the so-called wild yeast. Their presence is indicated by a white coating.
When combined with water and sourdough, raisins accelerate fermentation and make kvass highly carbonated from brown bread crusts with live yeast. Some even compare it to sparkling champagne.
In order to make the recipe for a drink made from bread and fresh pressed yeast, add dried grapes at the last stage of preparation, when it is just necessary to form a supply of carbon dioxide, which gives playful bubbles. If there is a desire to partially replace fresh yeast, then add dried grapes immediately.
No prior preparation is required. By the way, even washing the raisins is not recommended. Many of the nutrients required for fermentation are found on the surface, and the crude product gives the best results.
Note! It is not advisable to buy raisins in individual packages, often such a product is treated with various chemicals in order to extend its shelf life.
TOP-3 recipes for kvass on bread and live yeast
Among all the variety of recipes, it is sometimes quite difficult to choose the most suitable one in order to prepare a very tasty, aromatic, beautiful and healthy summer drink without unnecessary problems. In this case, you can start by making homemade kvass from rye bread with live yeast, in which there are no additional ingredients. And then, if desired, diversify the recipe, for example, adding raisins, horseradish, honey, mint or ginger.
Classic bread kvass with live yeast
To prepare a refreshing summer drink, you need rye crumb, fresh pressed yeast and sugar. Thanks to lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation, an excellent thirst-quenching drink can be obtained within a few days. The technology is very simple. Although the very preparation of kvass on bread and yeast according to the recipe is stretched out in time, the lion's share is devoted to the process of maturation of the drink.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 27 kcal.
- Servings - 20
- Cooking time - 40 minutes + 3-5 days
Ingredients:
- Filtered water - 5 l
- Borodino bread - 0.5 kg
- Compressed live yeast - 13 g
- Sugar - 200 g + 100 g
Step-by-step preparation of classic bread kvass with live yeast:
- We start with processing the bread: we cut it into cubes, send it to a clean and dry baking sheet and bake at 160-200 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
- Bring the water to a boil quickly. Turn off the heat and add crackers after 5 minutes. We insist on the wort for several hours.
- After 6-7 hours, break the pressed yeast into small pieces and fill it with warm water, mix with a non-metallic spoon and leave to dissolve and activate.
- Stir the bread liquid vigorously and pour it into large glass jars.
- Combine yeast liquid with bread water, add sugar. Stir, cover with a lid so that a little air can escape, and leave to ferment for another 6-7 hours. During this time, foam forms in the drink.
- Roll the gauze in several layers. To keep it from falling off, you can place it in a wide colander and set it over the pot. We filter the kvass billet. We pour it into bottles of a suitable volume, add granulated sugar - about 1-2 tablespoons per 1 liter. Shake and send under a tightly closed lid in the cold.
- Pour the remaining cake into a jar and send it to the refrigerator for storage.
- Kvass with live yeast with rye bread will be ready for use in a couple of days. In rare cases, it takes 3 days.
Important! The cake left in the refrigerator can be used again in the recipe for homemade kvass made from bread and yeast, simply by adding a little breadcrumbs, sugar and a new portion of water. After that, the jar needs to be sent to a new fermentation cycle.
Bread kvass with live yeast with raisins, ginger and honey
This recipe makes a very interesting drink. Due to the presence of raisins, drinking is saturated with small bubbles, so drinking it is a pleasure. Thanks to the addition of honey and ginger, kvass is enriched with useful substances. In general, the carbohydrate composition of the finished product provides a high energy content. At the same time, the drink can be consumed during a diet: refreshing, tasty, aromatic, with a light spicy ginger note, it gives energy, but does not provoke weight gain. It can be drunk as a soft drink or used to make okroshka. Now, in detail about how to make kvass from bread and yeast with the addition of raisins, ginger and honey.
Ingredients:
- Filtered water - 3 l
- Rye bread - 0.5 kg
- Compressed live yeast - 20 g
- Granulated sugar - 100 g
- Raisins - 30 g
- Honey - 3 tablespoons
- Ground ginger - 1 tsp
Step-by-step preparation of bread kvass with live yeast with raisins, ginger and honey:
- First of all, we prepare croutons. They need to be cut, laid on the bottom of a dry baking sheet and dried in the oven. The optimum temperature is 180 degrees, we cook for 10-15 minutes. In the process, you need to mix 1-2 times so that they do not burn.
- Pour the finished croutons into an enamel pan. Next, bring 2.5 liters of water over high heat to a boil and pour into dry bread. We leave the wort for aging for 5-6 hours.
- Mix fresh yeast with sugar and add to bread wort. Stir and leave again for 8 hours. During this time, the mixture will begin to ferment. Do not use a tight lid.
- After the specified period, we filter the mass using cheesecloth folded in 4-6 layers, or a thick strainer. We add useful ingredients - ginger and honey. Pour into bottles and add raisins.
- At this stage, the container should be closed tightly. After a couple of hours, you can put it in the refrigerator. On about the third day, kvass from bread, live yeast and raisins will be ready.
Important! Do not throw out the rest of the thick. On its basis, you can prepare several more servings of the drink by simply adding a little crackers, sugar and other ingredients, except for yeast.
Bread kvass with live yeast with horseradish
Another standard for kvass taste is a pickled drink with the addition of horseradish. This ingredient gives a special flavor and makes the liquid vigorous. For fermentation here, you need to use a fresh product from microscopic fungi, but the amount of this ingredient should be slightly less than in other recipes for yeast kvass with rye bread. In this case, the result will definitely be a great sparkling drink with an original pungency.
Ingredients:
- Black rye bread - 500 g
- Live yeast - 10 g
- Chilled boiled water - 3.5 l
- Horseradish root - 150-200 g
- Buckwheat honey - 6 tablespoons
- Sugar - 80-100 g
- Fresh mint leaves - 20 g
- White raisins - 2 tablespoons
Step-by-step preparation of bread kvass with live yeast with horseradish:
- For sourdough, dry the slices of Borodino crumb so that they become crispy and acquire a dark shade.
- Put half of the breadcrumbs in a 700 ml jar. Break the pressed yeast and dilute it with a little water. Add this mixture along with 20 g of sugar, fill it with prepared water at room temperature. Leave the mixture for fermentation for 2 days. During this time, the liquid will become cloudy and take on a sour taste.
- Pour the prepared starter culture into a bottle, add the second part of crackers, 50 g of sugar and fill it with water, not reaching the neck 4-5 cm. Cover with gauze so that excess carbon dioxide comes out of the jar. We leave for 2 days in a warm place.
- We remove the sample. The taste of the preparation according to the recipe for kvass from black bread with live yeast should be sour, and the aroma should be specific kvass. Add the remaining sugar, honey, chopped horseradish root and mint leaves.
- We insist for 6-8 hours, filter and pour into plastic bottles, leaving a little empty volume. We throw a few raisins into each container.
- We leave it warm and watch: when bubbles begin to burst from the raisin berries, and the bottle hardens, you need to put it in the refrigerator. After a couple of days, the drink is ready to tone up and quench your thirst.
TOP-14 questions about homemade kvass of their bread on live yeast
If the matter is decided with the choice of a suitable recipe, then new questions often arise during the preparation process. The problem can arise at any stage and can be associated with the color, taste, smell or strength of the drink. In this case, in almost every case, you can find the right solution and correct the situation.
TOP-14 questions about making bread kvass at home are presented in the table:
| Question | Answer |
| Why is kvass made from a mixture of rye and white bread not sharp enough and less tasty? | The taste depends on the ratio of one to the second product. The more black bread, the brighter the taste and the more pungent the drink turns out to be. |
| Why is kvass not sharp and sour? | There are several options. The first step is to increase the amount of sugar added before going into the refrigerator for storage. You should also pay attention to whether the technology was performed correctly, perhaps the kvass fermented for too long. |
| Why is the kvass too harsh and tears off the lid from the container? | The reason for this is the large amount of sugar. This product increases the carbon dioxide content. |
| What can replace sugar to sharpen kvass? | Alternatively, raisins or dried apricots work well. These products are able not only to add sweetness, provoke the release of carbon dioxide, but also slightly transform the taste of the finished drink. They need to be added after straining and shortly before going to the refrigerator. After adding, the dishes should be left in the sun or in a warm place for 2-4 hours, and then let it brew and cool. |
| Why is kvass from bread and yeast bitter? | Fried croutons, on which a black crispy crust has appeared, give bitterness to the drink. Also, an unpleasant bitterness can appear due to the large amount of live yeast. |
| How to increase the strength and taste of kvass? | Raisins will cope with this task. Dried grapes make the drink more intoxicating, accelerates the infusion of the must. In this case, the product must be added in a small amount - a small handful per 1 liter. |
| How to make a vigorous effervescent kvass? | For this, chopped horseradish root and grape leaf are usually added to the recipe. |
| Why does kvass take a long time to prepare? | One of the reasons is not enough ingredients for a certain volume of water. Be sure to stick to the correct recipe. Another reason is insufficient temperature. Usually the drink is fermented at 20-28 degrees. |
| Why doesn't kvass ferment with enough yeast? | This may be due to the staleness of the product. Live yeast, which is almost or completely expired, is less active or inactive at all. |
| How to quickly make kvass? | Be sure to use the classic recipe for kvass on bread and live yeast. They will significantly speed up the fermentation process. |
| Why is kvass not dark enough? | The secret lies in the use of white breads or insufficient roasting of rye crumb. The better the roast, the darker the drink. |
| Why is it impossible to prepare a drink in aluminum and copper dishes? | Because these metals are oxidized, which negatively affects the taste and color of kvass. |
| Why doesn't the drink ferment when good live yeast is added? | They may have been mixed with too hot water during cooking. |
| Why should kvass be kept cold? | First, it will make it more refreshing. Last but not least, cooling stops fermentation. |
Video recipes for kvass from bread with live yeast
The process of making kvass from bread using live yeast takes several days, but the result is fully justified by the long wait. If you do everything right, then by preparing one sourdough or wort at the beginning of summer, you can provide your family with a delicious refreshing and nutritious drink for all three hot months.
