At home, kvass for okroshka can be created in just two days, using a minimum of ingredients. Those who think that making kvass is a rather troublesome business, I assure you that there is nothing easier!
The drink for making okroshka differs from regular kvass in that it is aged a little longer until it becomes less carbonated and less sweet in taste. As the yeast bacteria feed on the sweetness, the drink will become more sour every day. In general, it takes about 2 days: on the first day, ordinary sweetish kvass is obtained, on the second day it is already more sour.
To create it, you can use both burnt sugar and black bread, dried in a pan or in the oven - these two products give the drink color. When creating kvass for more servings, increase the rate of ingredients. Kvass is best kept refrigerated to keep it cool, but not for long as it becomes sour.
So, prepare the necessary ingredients and start cooking!
Cut black bread into cubes or sticks, dry in a pan or in the oven until golden brown crusts appear.
Put the slightly cooled breadcrumbs in a jar or other deep capacious container.
Add sugar and dry yeast. You can use fresh yeast, rye sourdough, etc., but remember that then the preparation time for the drink may vary.
Pour warm water into the jar, but not to the top, as the drink will "ferment". Leave about 2 cm of free space from the edge of the container. Place the jar with the workpiece in a warm place without closing it with a lid.
On the first day, kvass will be heavily carbonated, on the second day the gas bubbles will go away, the main thing is not to forget to stir the drink so that it does not taste bitter.
Strain the contents of the jar through a fine mesh strainer. Bread cake can not be removed - on it you can ferment the next portion of the drink.
Pour home-made kvass for okroshka into a jug, store in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days. If the taste of the drink turned out to be sour, add a little granulated sugar to it and mix.
Fill with kvass okroshka at the very end, adding it to chopped foods. Happy you!
To my surprise, as it turns out, white kvass is known only in the Voronezh and Lipetsk regions. Even in Moscow, which is only 500 km from Voronezh, okroshka is made on dark carbonated kvass from a bottle. We, Voronezh residents, do not recognize this at all and are sincerely surprised how such okroshka can be eaten.
I love this kvass with tender love, in the summer I can drink a jar in a day! So refreshing and toning. The product is natural and fermented, improves the intestinal microflora. In general, one benefit!
For a long time, white kvass was available only in the market from grandmothers or from their grandmothers. Mine cooked it in a large bucket that stood in the cellar. It was considered unusually difficult to "brew" a drink, a special leaven was needed, which the grannies passed on to each other, that is, it was necessary to "get" this very leaven. Fortunately, for the last 5 years it has been sold in Voronezh stores - local bakeries realized where it is, a gold mine, and launched the production of white kvass on an industrial scale.
In Canada, I suffered from it for a long time and dreamed of an okroshka on white sourdough, until I found out that you can make it yourself on bread sourdough. I got on the Internet, and there - a complete mess! As soon as they don’t offer to cook this poor kvass ... And on breadcrumbs with sourdough, and on some kind of dry kvass, and on yeast, and on thick, begged from those same grandmothers on the market, and in one recipe it was even suggested to ask for sourdough on bakery. My mother and Misha's granny somehow cook on breadcrumbs, but it turns out not quite right.
Empirically and summing up the knowledge gained on the Internet, I finally got the very real grandmother's kvass! Yummy! And you don’t need to go to the bakery and look for something incomprehensible. Need rye flour, water and a bit of sugar. Plus, rye sourdough. If you have it, then kvass will be ready the next day. If not, you can bring the sourdough out on your own in 4 days, not rocket science. The Internet is full of recipes, often tricky ones. In life, it seems to me, everything looks much simpler.
So, rye sourdough:
We take 50 g of whole grain rye flour (ideally, organic) and 50 g of lukewarm water. Mix in a jar. After 12 hours, we throw out half, add 50 g of flour and 50 g of water. That is, roughly speaking, in the morning and in the evening you need to throw out half of the leaven and add flour and water. Depending on the quality of the flour and the temperature in the house, the starter should bubble up and double or triple in size at some point.
This happens to me the very next morning, if I put the sourdough in the evening, because the flour is good. But maybe this process will be delayed, that's okay. That's when the leaven has risen - this is the peak of its activity, it is necessary to "feed", that is, throw out part, add new flour and water. After 4-5 days, the sourdough will get stronger, then you can bake bread on it and brew kvass.
Then, during feeding, we don’t throw out a part, but we also feed and save for divorce. We keep in the refrigerator. Everywhere they write that when kept in a refrigerator, you need to feed (renew) the starter once a week. I do it less often. From above, it oxidizes for me, darkens, but if the top layer is removed, then below it is bubbly and loose, which it should be. I pull it out, update it, share it. I leave the part that I need for the recipe overnight on the table, in the morning it already increases by 2-3 times.
This is in short. If you don’t understand anything, google it, the Internet is full of sourdough recipes, even with videos!
Now you have your starter. We pass to kvass.
So, the easiest recipe for white kvass:
The traditional recipe for white okroshka kvass includes a simple set of ingredients, including rye flour, water and sugar. For the first time, a starter is prepared, which is then diluted with warm water, fermented and filtered. But there are also simpler recipes.
Today I will tell you how to make bread kvass at home from rye crackers, with a minimum amount of sugar, with dry yeast. I will cook in a 3-liter jar - in my opinion, the most convenient container for ripening kvass. A step-by-step recipe with a photo and a detailed description will help you easily cope with the task. In less than two days you will get a great drink, invigorating and effervescent, which is great for dressing homemade okroshka.
Total time: 2 days / Preparation time: 15 minutes / Yield: 1.5 l
I cut rye bread into a medium-sized cube, 2x2 cm. It will take 250-300 grams of bread, which is about 1/4 of a loaf. It needs to be dried in the oven, for a special flavor and so that it does not immediately become limp in water.
I spread the bread cubes in an even layer on a baking sheet and dry them in the oven. The temperature should not be too high, about 120-130 degrees. In the process of drying, I turn over several times, as a result, crispy crackers should be obtained, but not too overcooked and not burnt. If overexposed, then kvass will be bitter.
I put ruddy crackers in a 3-liter jar. They should fill it about 1/4 of the volume or a little more. I fill it with hot boiled water (80 degrees) - on the shoulders of the can. I leave until cool.
After 3-4 hours, when the temperature of the liquid reaches room temperature, I add sugar, raisins and a little dry yeast to it. I cover with a lid and gently turn the jar in the air so that the yeast dissolves (as an option, you can dilute them separately in a small amount of warm water). I cover with gauze and leave it in this form for 24 hours. Kvass should ferment in warmth. Depending on the ambient temperature, the ripening time can vary significantly and reach from 1 to 3 days if it is hot or, on the contrary, cool.
In the ripened kvass, the crackers will rise to the neck of the jar, they will bubble and play, foam will appear, which indicates the readiness of the drink. So, it's time to drain the liquid from the crumb. I squeeze the sour bread through gauze, filter the drink into a clean container - glass or food-grade plastic bottles with lids will do.
I pour the liquid into the prepared bottles (I got a little more than 1.5 liters), tightly tighten the lids and put in the refrigerator to infuse for 8-10 hours. And do not rush to throw away the bread crumb. It can be used as a starter for the next batch of kvass - for this I return it to the jar again and fill it with warm, but not hot, boiled water with sugar and repeat the process, but without adding yeast.
Bread kvass is completely ready for use. In the cold, the fermentation process stops, a small natural sediment falls to the bottom of the bottle, which is associated with the use of natural raw materials. It remains to chop the vegetables and fill the soup with a portion of the chilled drink. Bon Appetit!
On a note
Okroshka can be seasoned with cold kvass or emulsified from crushed yolk, kvass and sour cream - it will turn out even tastier!
Summer cold soup is a traditional Russian dish, the basis of which has long been considered. A variety of homemade drinks supplying the body with vitamins was considered a symbol of family well-being. They were prepared from almost any product: bread, grains, vegetables and fruits, juices. Homemade kvass for okroshka - sour liquid, the sharpness of which is given by the unfinished fermentation process.
The most common and easy-to-make recipe for homemade bread kvass for okroshka. Raw material for drink:
It is not difficult to prepare homemade kvass, the refreshing liquid can be consumed not immediately, keeping it in the refrigerator.
Half a loaf of rye and wheat bread (you can use stale bread) cut into small cubes. Roast them in a hot oven until golden brown (no fat needed).
Sourdough is being prepared:
The remaining toasted crackers should be divided into 2 three-liter jars equally. It is recommended to add 50-60 g of sugar to each container, pour boiling water up to half the volume. When the water has cooled to room temperature, it is recommended to add the starter, dividing it into equal parts.
Okroshochny kvass ferments for another 2 days, after which the liquid is carefully filtered, the soaked crackers are removed, 0.5 liters of boiled water and sugar are added to the jars to taste. A day later, kvass for okroshka, made at home, is ready for use. It is recommended to store the drink in food-grade plastic bottles lying horizontally on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Ingredients for making a drink without yeast:
50 g of rye malt should be poured with a liter of water heated to 50 ° C, add sugar and leave for 2 hours. Add the rest of the ingredients to the cooled composition and insist the liquid for 12-16 hours. The prepared drink must be drained from the sediment, filtered and placed in a cold place for infusion.
Grounds can be reused in the preparation of new portions by adding sugar, malt and water according to the recipe.
Collect birch sap in spring. Pour the strained liquid into glass bottles, throwing a handful of raisins (white kvass) or dried apples, wild pears (the liquid acquires a yellow-brown color, depending on the degree of roasting of the fruit). Close the container with a capron lid.
Improves the taste and sharpness of homemade okroshka drink peeled horseradish root, cumin seeds, coriander, mustard seeds. Mint leaves give the liquid a refreshing "chill".
Homemade kvass for okroshka is much healthier and tastier than the factory-made kvass, which contains preservatives and dyes instead of natural products. The ease of preparing a delicious drink allows you to supply the body with additional vitamins almost all year round.
Before telling how to make homemade kvass for okroshka, beloved by all Russians, it is worth noting why it is not worth buying. A bottled or draft drink is prepared using completely different technologies.
It is suitable only for drinking and then not always, if you carefully study the composition. It is absolutely impossible to use it for cold soup. It will turn out not okroshka, but a parody of a traditional Russian dish, which, most likely, will have to be thrown away.
Kvass, which is made at home, should be sharp, but slightly sour. He gets these bright properties from dried black bread, which is the main component of the drink. It is permissible to replace it with ready-made breadcrumbs.
You can gradually prepare them for the summer. As soon as a few pieces of rye bread remain, the hostess dries them in the oven and puts them in a paper bag. In the summer, such a preparation will help out when you have to make kvass often.
Attention! When drying bread, do not burn the crust. If the crackers are burnt, then bitterness will turn into kvass, which will completely ruin the okroshka.
Sweet kvass has been very popular for many centuries. But it will not be discussed further, because okroshka requires a completely different drink - white. It is also added to beetroot, botvinia, cold.
Agree, the main thing in okroshka is - quality kvass. It must be white, as originally intended in the classic recipe. Life goes on, the national cuisine acquires new traditions, which have proven themselves quite well. In this case, it is necessary to consider different recipes for making kvass for this ice soup.
White okroshochny kvass was originally prepared with flour. Sometimes not one of its varieties was taken, but several at once, which influenced the taste of the finished drink. Over time, varieties of kvass appeared, because they began to prepare it using other ingredients:
Several of the most affordable kvass recipes for okroshka are discussed below in more detail.
Preparing a tiny drink is very simple:
Yeast drink for okroshka is ready. It can be stored in the refrigerator so as not to peroxide.
It will take only 2 days for kvass with mint to stand. But then you can cook a delicious okroshka, which has a specific mint flavor.
For cooking, products are taken:
Cooking process:
In the villages, they used to constantly prepare flour kvass. In such cases, bread was not used, it was replaced by rye flour. The grain was ground immediately before the preparation of the base.
List of products for 2.5-3 liters of water:
How to cook rye kvass:
The grounds that remain after filtering can be used as a starter for a new batch of drink. It is allowed to add a little honey and fresh flour to it. If you want to have dark-colored kvass, you can pre-fry grain or flour.
Many are frightened off by the preparation of kvass, due to the long fermentation of the product. Then you can use ready-made sourdough for white kvass, which is sold in stores. The search for it is not successful in all cities, then you will have to prepare the sourdough yourself from ordinary flour and water.
Preparing the sourdough is easy:
50 g of flour is poured into a jar, 50 ml of water is added. The ingredients are stirred until a viscous mass is obtained. It must be left for 12 hours in the sun for fermentation.
Divide the resulting mixture into 2 equal parts. One part will have to be poured out, to the rest add the same products (50 ml of warm water and 50 g of flour).
Repeat again after 12 hours. After about 4 days, the sourdough will be ready. Half is taken for kvass, and the rest is not thrown away. In a closed jar, the mass is sent to the refrigerator. Then again it will be possible to feed it with a new portion of flour and water and use it for its intended purpose.
And now about how to make kvass from this sourdough. For 3 liters of boiled hot water is taken:
Kvass for okroshka is made simply:
Knowing how to cook delicious kvass for okroshka at home, you can go to the kitchen. And let the surrogates remain on the shelves of the store: they are not suitable for summer soup.
