How to cook kvass at home

Well, what Russian people do not like kvass? This drink always comes in handy for any table. And in the summer, in the midst of unbearable heat, kvass becomes the only salvation from thirst. Kvass is not only good for health, it also perfectly restores strength, invigorates and nourishes the body with energy.

What is kvass

Kvass is a traditional Slavic drink made from flour and barley (or wheat) malt. The production of kvass is based on fermentation, which gives the drink such a unique taste and aroma. Usually kvass is made from dry rye bread. Depending on the recipe of the region in which the kvass is prepared, honey, various aromatic herbs, berries and fruits can be added to the drink.

Interestingly, Slavic recipes often used kvass as the basis for cold dishes. To date, the most famous such dish is okroshka on kvass. In ancient times, the process of fermentation of kvass was brought to such an extent that the drink turned out to be alcoholic, high-degree. Hence the expression “ferment”, that is, “drink”.

Today, according to GOST, the proportion of alcohol in kvass should not exceed 2%. And in Europe, a special commission on alcoholic products equated kvass with low-alcohol beer. Kvass is divided into bread, berry, honey, fruit, milk, honey and baby.

The benefits of kvass

In addition to the fact that kvass has a pleasant, sweet and sour taste, it has a very beneficial effect on the work of the whole organism. Kvass improves the work of the cardiovascular system, speeds up the metabolism. This drink contains special acids, thanks to which kvass can perfectly quench thirst. In kvass, a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide, which is absorbed into the walls of the stomach, increases appetite and improves digestion. Therefore, kvass is recommended to drink to those who suffer from poor appetite, as well as during the recovery period after the disease.

Kvass is filled with vitamins B1 and E, sugars, trace elements, amino acids, enzymes. Regular consumption of homemade kvass will help increase immunity, improve digestion, and increase the overall tone of the body. The drink has beneficial milk bacteria that affect the digestive system in the same way as kefir, fermented baked milk, yogurt, yogurt. Kvass is often prescribed for use by people suffering from dysbiosis.

Kvass is a fairly nutritious product and it is not recommended to abuse it when losing weight. After all, it was kvass during the war that saved many residents of the besieged cities from exhaustion and hunger. Like any other drink, kvass has contraindications. Kvass should not be drunk by people suffering from cirrhosis, hypertension and gastritis.

Today, on the shelves of the store you can find a “kvass drink” that tastes a bit like real kvass. It is made from soda, sweeteners and flavors. Such a drink has nothing to do with real kvass, and therefore does not carry any benefit in itself. And to taste it is not at all what we drank in childhood. To get natural, tasty and healthy kvass, you need to cook it yourself.

Classic kvass on yeast bread

To prepare this kvass, we need 5 liters of pure water, 5 grams of dry yeast, a glass of sugar and a pound of rye bread. Please note that the bread should be simple, without additives in the form of caraway seeds or other seasonings.

1. Boil water and let it cool. Then pour it into the container where the kvass will be prepared. It is best to choose glass bottles and jars, plastic containers or enamel pans.
2. While the water cools, the bread needs to be dried in the oven. Slice a rye loaf and sprinkle bread on a baking sheet. Dry thoroughly. If you want to get a rich color of kvass with a light bitterness, you need to dry the bread to a dark state. If you prefer sweet and light kvass, crackers should be dried only slightly.
3. Mix crackers with water, cover the container with gauze and leave for two days. Do not cover the jar with a tight lid. The carbon dioxide released during fermentation can simply break the tank.
4. If you want to get kvass in an accelerated mode, then crackers with water need to be boiled for 20 minutes, and then remove from heat and cover with gauze. So the fermentation process will occur much faster.
5. After the specified time, the kvass mass must be filtered. Squeeze the crackers well. Transfer the filtered liquid back to the fermentation tank.
6. Add two thirds of a glass of sugar and yeast diluted with a small amount of warm water to the kvass. Thoroughly mix the composition and leave for a day.
7. After that, pour kvass into bottles, adding to each of them the remnants of sugar prepared for kvass. Sugar at the last stage is added to form carbon dioxide, because many of us love kvass for its pleasant bubbles.
8. When kvass is bottled, they must be tightly closed so that gas does not escape. Then refrigerate the containers to stop the fermentation process. When the drink has cooled, it can be drunk.

Such kvass should be stored in the basement or refrigerator. It will not only quench your thirst after a hard day, but also help restore energy and strength.

Classic kvass without the use of yeast

How many people - so many tastes. Some people like kvass made with yeast, while others prefer to use fruits and berries as a starter. In our recipe we will add raisins to kvass. It not only allows kvass to ferment well, but also gives it a subtle, elusive taste and aroma.

To prepare this kvass, we need the same amount of ingredients, only sugar needs to be taken a little more than a glass, about 300 g. Instead of yeast, we take a handful of raisins, about 50 g.

1. Dry the crackers in the same way as in the previous recipe. It is very important not to dry the crackers, otherwise the drink will turn out to be bitter.
2. Add crackers and sugar to boiled water. Thoroughly mix the mass and fill it in a fermentation tank. Please note that the capacity should not be full, leave approximately 10% of the empty space.
3. Then add raisins to the composition and mix the future kvass again. Cover the container with a piece of clean gauze and leave at room temperature.
4. After a day or two, you will see that fermentation has begun in the container - bubbles and sour smell will appear, crackers will begin to move. If this does not happen, then the raisins were of poor quality. Therefore, approach the choice of raisins for kvass with special responsibility - the whole taste and texture of the drink depends on it.
5. After 48 hours, kvass should be ready. It is filtered, a small amount of sugar is added to it and bottled. For beauty and taste, you can add several raisins to each bottle. Let this be the highlight of your drink.
6. When the tightly closed bottles cool down (after about 3-4 hours), the kvass will be ready for use.
7. It can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days. But the drink turns out so tasty that it will not last three days - believe me!

There are a lot of kvass recipes, each of them is tasty and unusual. Even in one region in Russia, in one yard, 5 housewives made kvass, and each one had its own recipe different from the others. We’ll tell you about a few kvass recipes that you can cook at home.

Kvass Recipes

Beetroot kvass. This is a very healthy, tasty and easy to prepare drink.A kilogram of fresh beets must be grated or chopped in a meat grinder. Put the grated beets, a piece of rye bread, half a glass of sugar and a pinch of salt in a three-liter jar. Pour the ingredients with water and place in a warm place (temperature should not be higher than room temperature). Do not forget that the kvass is not tightly covered with a lid - only with gauze. In a day, kvass will begin to ferment. And in two it will be completely ready. It needs to be bottled and stored in the refrigerator. The regular use of such kvass perfectly affects the body - blood vessels become stronger, the heart works better, and constipation disappears.

Birch kvass. It is a natural and healthy product. Birch sap must be taken fresh - immediately after collection. Boil it over low heat to evaporate excess water. Then wait for the liquid to cool. Add yeast to a warm liquid and set aside for a couple of days. It is very important to choose the temperature of the liquid when you pour yeast into it. If the liquid is hot, the yeast will simply boil, and in an insufficiently cold liquid, the yeast will not work. The optimum temperature for fermentation is 30-35 degrees.

Apple kvass. For this recipe you will need apples of sour varieties. 5-6 sour green apples, grate and pour three liters of water. Boil this stewed fruit for half an hour and let it cool. Add a teaspoon of yeast and a little sugar to the warm mass. Put the jar on the windowsill and cover the neck with gauze. This kvass wanders a little longer than two days, about 3-4 days, but its taste is distinguished by a delicate apple tint.

Honey kvass. In Russia, honey kvass was considered a festive drink, which was prepared before great celebrations and significant feasts. Boil 4 liters of clean water and cool it. Then add a tablespoon of dry yeast, the same amount of rye flour, a large handful of raisins, a glass of honey and lemon cut into small pieces. Thoroughly mix the whole composition and put it to insist as usual. After a day, you need to pour another liter of water into the container and let the kvass finally ferment. You can determine the readiness of a drink by its raisins - when they all completely surface, it means that kvass can be bottled.

Berry kvass. This recipe for kvass was relevant in the spring, when berries ripened in the forests - tasty, juicy, healthy. For the preparation of the drink, you can take any kind - strawberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries. The mix of berries must be thoroughly crushed to a pulp and pour three liters of boiling water. After a day, the prepared mixture needs to be filtered and a little yeast added to it. Sugar does not need to be added - berries give a rather sweet taste. For piquancy and sourness, you can add a little lemon juice to the kvass. Kvass is infused for about 2-3 days, after which it can be bottled, cooled and enjoyed with pleasure.

So that during the preparation of kvass, mold does not form on the surface of the container, you need to take absolutely clean dishes for fermentation. Boil water thoroughly and use only pure ingredients. And then you can enjoy and please the home with such a healthy and tasty drink.

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