Kefir is a healthy fermented dairy product. And it is so easy to make. The only thing needed is milk and kefir grains. These really aren’t grains, but a living source of beneficial bacteria and yeast.
My delightful journey with kefir began when a friend gave me some grains in a jar of milk. I wanted the grains to start working right away, so I put the jar in the cupboard. The reason I did this is because kefir grains begin to ferment at room temperature. And for best results, I avoided drafts and direct sunlight. I did not screw on the plastic lid, but just let it sit loosely on the top. My kefir took about 24 hours to ferment. I did this on a daily basis and because these grains grew in the process, within a month I had enough of this healthy probiotic drink for the entire family to consume.
Watch this quick video on the steps I go through every day to make Kefir.
Easy steps to make kefir:
Place jar of kefir grains with milk (ratio of 1-2 tablespoons of grains to 1 cup of milk) in cupboard for 24 hours to ferment.
Remove from cupboard and strain grains from kefir. If you notice a separation of the whey, just give it a shake before straining. It may be an indication that you may need to cut back on fermentation time, put your kefir in a cooler spot to ferment, or decrease your number of grains to milk ratio.
Place grains back in a jar, add proper amount of fresh cold milk and begin the process over again. Make sure you keep a proper ratio of grains to milk. You can eat the excess grains, share them with a friend, or feed them to your animals.
Enjoy the milk kefir that was just separated from the grains.
The grains are a living bacteria and need to feed off the lactose in milk. Therefore if I am not going to be consuming kefir for a while, I want to slow down the fermentation process. So rather than putting the jar of grains and cold milk in the cupboard, I put the jar in the refrigerator. It can be stored this way for up to a week. If longer storage time is needed, I add more than the normal amount of milk, so my kefir will have plenty of food. It may be a little sluggish when I first start to use it again, but after a few days it should be back to normal.
I have also tried what is called a double fermentation. This is letting the strained kefir sit at room temperature for another 24 hours (with a loose lid). This further reduces the lactose content, taking away sourness, and supposedly increasing b vitamins and probiotics.
So you can see that milk kefir is so easy to make. Go ahead and give it a try. You can drink it as it is, create a favorite smoothie, or use it in a recipe.