How to cook alcoholic kvass at home? Kvass on hop sourdough.

Grandma's kvass recipe

According to this recipe, kvass was prepared by my grandmother in the village. At that time yeast and dry bread kvass not sold in stores yet. I was still quite small then. But by some miracle I managed to remember!
So.
We take out the finished hop starter from the refrigerator (or cellar) (see below) and pour 100 g of the transparent component from above. Warming up a little, add one mashed boiled potato, a few bread crumbs and a tea spoon of sugar. Set aside and take three-liter jar. Pour there slightly ignited crackers with a layer of 3-5 cm, pour boiling water and leave to infuse and cool. After 2 hours, add the starter to the jar. It is laid for the first time of day 3. Kvass should overshoot and become light.
“The question of homemade yoghurts most often arises in a woman when she has a child, and with it new habits appear, including the habit of eating right. At this moment, a permanent residence permit in the house and ... "
Homemade yogurt. Ferment and eat! If it still has a bitter taste, then the first kvass can simply be poured out and on this sourdough (5-7 cm at the bottom) make kvass again, that is, steam the crusts of bread in another jar and when it cools down, combine with sourdough. This time, kvass will be ready faster, in 2 days, and then, when repeated, in 1 day. When the kvass has gone too far and settled, you need to separate it from the starter (remove the starter in the refrigerator to use it again next time), and add herbs and berries or raisins to the kvass and put it in the refrigerator or cellar.
It is better if the container is stored lying down (convenient in this case plastic bottles). Additives to kvass can be very different, for example lemon balm, peppermint and a currant leaf, as well as any berries that are available, you can also put orange or lemon peels. I also want to add that any medicinal herb fermented in kvass acquires a special power, but this can already be used as a preventive measure and treatment, because the taste of kvass from medicinal herbs will be bitter. Experiment!
By the way, there is still a peculiarity: if a drink is prepared just for drinking, then herbs and berries are put in already ready kvass before putting it in the refrigerator. And if for treatment, then herbs and roots are fermented at the same time, that is, they are laid along with the leaven. You can read more about this from Bolotov. Well, I have my own experience, a gypsy lived on our farm, who treated herbs prepared in this way.
hop yeast
How to do without store-bought bread? - this question is asked not only by future "landowners" who are striving to free themselves from the "system".
Now many adherents of a healthy lifestyle in general, and wholesome food- in particular - it is known about the dangers of the so-called "thermophilic yeast" (this is discussed in detail, for example, in Professor Zhdanov's film "Our Daily Bread or Problems from Thermophilic Yeast and Kefir"), but not everyone is ready to live without bread familiar from childhood.
We bring to your attention Alternative option making yeast dough - on hop yeast. By the way, it is these yeasts that have been used by people since ancient times.
So,
1. We take hop cones. Can be fresh, can be dried. We put them in a saucepan, pour hot water and boil for 1 hour.
2. Then we cool, filter and add sugar and flour to the broth (about 2 times more flour than sugar), mix and put in a warm place for 1.5 days.
3. Add a couple of mashed boiled potatoes to the resulting mass, mix and set for another 1 day in heat.
4. What happened is hop yeast!
5. We knead the usual yeast dough- that is, add eggs, sugar, salt, flour and butter.
6. Put in a warm place for the night.
7. In the morning you can sculpt and bake pies. Very tasty and healthy.

Before we start looking at recipes for making yeast from hops at home, let's talk a little about the history and biology of the issue.

Many scientists believe that yeast is the first living being domesticated by man. Modern excavations prove that the ancient Egyptians were six thousand years before new era used for fermentation or baking. When buying yeast in the store in the form of sticks or dry powder, many do not even suspect that these are living organisms. More precisely, mushrooms that have lost the ability to form mycelium and have adapted to live in liquid substrates.

As for the use of hops in the preparation of yeast, this is also quite ancient history. People have long noticed the properties of this plant and began to use it in various products using fermentation. Not without reason in Russian "drunk" is a synonym for the word "drunk".

Hops are blooming - it's time to harvest

Harvesting and storage of hops

In order to be able to make yeast from hops year-round, it must be properly harvested and stored. It should be noted that cones are collected from hops, which are bracts. It is in them that valuable pollen called “lupulin” is formed, which, in addition to the formation of yeast, also gives the products a unique beer taste.

Hop harvest

Depending on the region, hops bloom in different months of the summer, but bud harvesting is best done when flowering is nearing its end. At this moment, they accumulate the largest number lupulin.

Advice! To determine the ripeness of the cones, they are rubbed between the palms. If greenish-yellow resin appears on them, the hops are ready to be harvested.

The hop plant is a long liana, sometimes growing up to five meters in length. Experienced gardeners who cultivate this plant do it very simply. In the assembly season, the shoots are cut off almost at the root, and then the cones are plucked calmly on the ground. There is nothing to be sad about the fate of the plant. The following year, new bushes will grow from the roots.

Drying

Once the buds are harvested, they must be dried quickly. To do this, the cones are laid out under a canopy in trays or on burlap, you can also use old paper. The layer of cones should be minimal so that premature fermentation of lupulin does not occur.

If the weather outside is rainy and damp, then drying is best done in closed attics or glazed verandas. Properly dried raw material practically does not lose its green color, it only becomes slightly tarnished.

Storage

Properly dried hops can be stored for up to three years. To do this, it is poured into canvas bags, which are kept in a dry, cool room.

During storage, hops should be inspected periodically. The appearance of black spots on the cones indicates that the raw material has been damaged, in which case it cannot be used to make yeast or beer.

Acquisition

Nowadays, buying hops is also not a problem. It is mainly purchased for brewing, but it can also be used to make yeast. Already processed granular hops are laid out in bags, which are more convenient to store, pack and transport.

Yeast Recipes

Whether you've made your own hops or bought them from a retail store, it's time to learn how to make yeast from hops. There are several options for their preparation, which use different ingredients.

From fresh hops

Homemade hop yeast produces the most flavor when freshly harvested buds are used. To prepare them, you need to take the following amount of ingredients per liter of cone decoction:

salt - ½ tablespoon;
granulated sugar - 100 grams;
wheat flour - 1 cup;
potatoes - 1-2 pieces.

The cooking process is simple, but requires precise adherence to technology.

First you need to fill the pan with hop cones and pour hot water over them.
Boil the hops in lightly simmering water for an hour.
We filter the broth and measure its volume.
Attention! The amount of ingredients is calculated specifically for the volume of the broth.
Add salt, sugar and flour. We mix everything thoroughly.
We put the dishes in a warm place for two days.
After this time, add boiled mashed potatoes to the mixture. Quantity mashed potatoes should be such as to bring the broth to the density of sour cream.
In a day, the yeast will be ready. It remains to pour them into jars or bottles.

Store hop yeast in the refrigerator to reduce its activity.

From dry hops

The sourdough from dried or pre-processed hops at the factory is made without the use of potatoes, and the recipe has been slightly modified. We will indicate the number of ingredients directly in the text:

Pour one part dry hops into the pot.
Pour in two parts of water.
Boil until liquid is reduced by half.
We filter the decoction.
Add a tablespoon of sugar for each glass of broth.
Then add with constant stirring wheat flour at the rate of half a glass per glass of liquid.
We remove the pan in a warm place.

Yeast will be ready in 30-40 hours. You can feel this moment by the characteristic yeasty smell of sourdough.

Yeast from a thermos

Instead of boiling the cones, you can use the method of steaming them in a thermos. To make such a sourdough for bread from hops, you need to take the following amount of products:

fresh water - 1 glass;
dry or fresh hops - 2 tablespoons;
sugar - 1 tablespoon;
salt - ½ teaspoon;
wheat flour of the first grade - 110 grams;
boiled potatoes - 100 grams.

When preparing yeast according to this recipe, the cone steaming method is used, so:

Pour hop cones into a thermos.
We fill them with boiling water.
We are waiting for the water to cool completely, in a good thermos this process lasts a day.
We filter the broth through a sieve.
Add salt, flour and sugar - mix everything thoroughly and put it in a warm place.
We keep the mixture in a warm place for two days, during which time we mix several times.
Boil potatoes and mash.
Add mashed potatoes to almost ready yeast and keep for another day.

You should get about half a liter of yeast. In the recipe from Elena Molokhovets, it is recommended to take a full spoonful of the resulting yeast per pound of flour.

Reference! One pound is approximately 400 grams.

Kvass from hops

As mentioned above, hops are not only used to make yeast. Its main purpose is to make beer. We want to treat our readers with a recipe for how to cook hop kvass at home.

Composition of products:

water - 3 liters;
yeast - 10 grams;
hops - 30 grams;
wheat flour - 10 grams;
rye crackers - 300 grams;
granulated sugar - 50 grams;
raisins - 25 grams.

The procedure for preparing kvass is as follows:

We make yeast sourdough: in half a glass of warm water we dissolve yeast, a little sugar, sugar and flour.
We lay rye crackers in a three-liter jar.
Pour boiling water up to the shoulders of the jar.
Add the remaining granulated sugar, raisins and hop cones.
After cooling to room temperature, add yeast starter.
We mix everything, cover the jar with gauze and leave to ferment for two days.

Ready kvass must be drained from the sediment, add 3 tablespoons of sugar to the remaining sourdough and pour warm water. Thus, a continuous process of preparing kvass is organized. You just need to control the amount of sourdough and add crackers for color and flavor.

An interesting video on this topic will help us to summarize the conversation about making yeast from hops at home.

Kvass (cf. Russian kvass, Polish kwas - acid) - national low alcohol drink with volume fraction ethyl alcohol not more than 1.2%, produced as a result of incomplete alcoholic or alcoholic and lactic acid fermentation of the wort.

Kvass, as a product of sour-milk fermentation, in terms of its effect on the body is in many ways similar to such products as kefir, curdled milk, acidophilus, koumiss. It regulates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system, improves metabolism, prevents the development of pathogens, and improves tone. Kvass can even be used as food - in the years of famine, it saved people from exhaustion.

Dishes based on kvass:

Okroshka - cold soup based on kvass.
Botvinya is a cold soup based on kvass, which is made from fish and boiled and grated sorrel, spinach, green onion, nettles, quinoa and other edible herbs.
Tyurya is an old Russian dish of bread and onions crumbled into kvass.
Putrya - porridge made from barley, spring wheat, buckwheat or millet, seasoned with kvass and malt.
Chorba - a dish of Moldovan cuisine, sour soup with meat or poultry, which includes kvass from bran, carrots, onions, parsley, celery, tomatoes and spicy greens.
Zama - soup based on kvass, differs from chorba primarily in that it contains a raw egg whipped together with sour cream.

Kvass is easy to prepare both industrially and at home. For cooking yeast kvass at home, yeast, crackers are usually used (or better - kvass must) and sugar. Berries, mint, hops, apples, pears, raisins and other products are also often added to kvass to give the drink special flavors. A separate group of non-cereal kvass (the raw materials for which are beets, sea buckthorn, etc.) are used mainly in cooking and folk medicine.

For the preparation of non-alcoholic kvass, almost any herbal product, filled with water and left for a day (for example, for rare kvass - grated radish).

Kvass is prepared from different varieties flour and bread, water and malt, and is a product of lactic acid and partly alcoholic fermentation of sugary substances formed from the starch contained in the source materials. Flour is used rye, barley, wheat, buckwheat and oatmeal; they take both rye and wheat bread; malt is mostly rye and barley. Sometimes kvass is made without the addition of malt. The most common is bread kvass.

Essence traditional ways preparation of kvass is as follows: a mixture of malt, rye, wheat or any other flour, taken in certain, various for different varieties kvass proportions, fall asleep in wooden tub and brew with boiling water; when brewing, they usually take about 1/10 of the total amount of water that has to be used for kvass. The resulting thick pasty mass (mash) is mixed with an oar until a sweet taste appears in it; after that, the mash is transferred to cast iron and the latter are placed in a Russian, pre-heated oven for a day. After this time, the cast iron is removed from the furnace and the mash is transferred to large vats, then diluted with water, left to stand for 2-3 hours and the settled liquid, after adding yeast to it (no more than 1% of all starting materials), is poured into prepared barrels. Instead of yeast, fermented Rye bread. Barrels with kvass are placed on a glacier or in a basement, generally in a room with a low temperature.

Kvass recipes

Malt is a product of artificial germination of grains of cereals containing active substances - enzymes. These substances determine the ability of malt to break down (saccharify) starch into simple sugars, which are then converted by yeast into alcohol. The preparation of malt requires special attention and cleanliness. Good malt is the basis of high quality moonshine.

Germination periods for different crops are as follows: 7-8 days for wheat, 5-6 days for rye, 9-10 days for barley, 8-9 days for oats, and 4-5 days for millet. During germination, active enzymes are formed in the grain, which significantly accelerate the saccharification of starch. If necessary, the malt should be dried, but after drying, the enzyme activity drops by 20% and, accordingly, the germination time increases. The preparation of malt consists of a number of mandatory operations, which include grain sorting, soaking, spinning, degerming and drying. Let's take a closer look at these operations.

Take, for example, barley. The grain is first sieved through a sieve, then washed several times in hot water at a temperature of 50 - 55oC. After that, soak in a clean wooden or enamelware half filled with water. Floating grains and debris are removed. It is better to pour the grain into the water little by little - it will be easier to remove debris. Water should be changed every 7-8 hours. When it is found that the husk is easily separated from the pulp, the skin of the grain is cracked and a sprout is indicated, and the grain itself does not burst when bent, soaking must be completed and proceed to the stage of malt growth. To do this, in a dark room, scatter the grain with a layer of up to 3 cm and cover it with a damp cloth. The temperature in the room should not be higher than 17-18oC and the humidity should not be lower than 40%. The first 5 days, the grain is aired every 6-7 hours, turned over, and the fabric is moistened. Then, in order to reduce the loss of starch, the air flow into the room is limited, and an increase in temperature in it in the days remaining until the end of the process is tried to be prevented by mixing and cooling the grain.

The main signs of cessation of growth: the length of the sprouts has reached 5-6 mm, and the roots - 12-15 mm, the grains lose their floury taste and when they are bitten they crunch and smell of a pleasant cucumber smell, and the roots are linked to each other.

After that, the malt is scattered in a warm, dry room and dried. Then it is dried in a dryer until its moisture content is 3-3.5%. The drying temperature should not exceed 40oC. The malt is dried when it is dry to the touch, has a sweet taste, the roots and sprouts are significantly reduced and easily separated by rubbing in the hands, the malt has a characteristic pleasant smell. Malt sprouts should be removed. To do this, the malt is rubbed with hands, and then winnowed or shaken in a sieve. Malt dried at a temperature not exceeding 40oC is called "white"; such malt has a high enzyme activity (80%) and is well preserved. Store malt in a dry place in a sealed container.

Dried grains are passed through a meat grinder and then a coffee grinder. Store ground malt in a dry, cool place in bags.

By the way, sprouted grains can be mixed together: rye, barley, peas, wheat, oats, but it is better to store them separately so that by combining malts you get various kinds kvass. Malt can not be brewed with boiling water, while enzymes are destroyed - biological substances that contribute to the fermentation process. For better fermentation beer, hops or kefir, yogurt are added to malt. You can replace malt with yeast. For kvass various kinds need rye, buckwheat flour, as well as many other additives - aromatic herbs, honey, horseradish, cereals, vegetables and fruits.

Classic kvass recipe

Ingredients for 3 liters of water:

500 grams of black bread,
20 grams of yeast
sugar - a few tablespoons or to taste.

Cut the bread into pieces and dry in the oven until blackened. Pour in water and let stand overnight.
After that, pull out the bread, put yeast and sugar in the infused water and let stand for two days at room temperature.
Strain through cheesecloth or paper and bottle.
Put in a cold place.
Such kvass can be 4-5 degrees strong, depending on the amount of yeast and sugar.

Bread kvass

Ingredients:

black bread 1 loaf,
water 6 liters,
sugar 8 tbsp. spoons,
dry yeast for baking 4 tbsp. spoons,
raisins 50 gr.

Cooking sourdough: cut brown bread into slices and fry in the oven until a dark crust, after the crackers have cooled (you can the next day)
Take two 3-liter balloons and fill in crackers equally, you get half a loaf per balloon. Pour in 2 tbsp. spoons (not with a slide) of yeast and 4 tbsp. spoons of sugar.
Pour into each balloon 15 pcs. unwashed black raisins and pour all this with water at room temperature (but not cold and not boiling water).
Put the bottles (without covering them with a lid) in a dark, dry place and place a rag or tray under them, as during fermentation, water may spill onto the floor.
After three days, you can strain the kvass through a fine sieve (do not throw away the bread from the balloons, it will go to leaven) into the pan and add 7 tbsp. tablespoons sugar or to taste. Stir the kvass and pour it into dark one and a half bowls, where you throw three raisins in advance.
Close the lid, keep one and a half cups with kvass at room temperature for 3 hours, then put in the refrigerator in a supine position.
Kvass can be consumed immediately after it has cooled, but I advise you to keep it for another 2 days.

If you like kvass, then the second time we do without yeast.

We do everything the same as the first time, but instead of yeast, put two tablespoons of sourdough per 3 liters. Balon (the bread that was left from the first time) and keep it for two days. Attention, if you overdo it with yeast and sugar, kvass will turn out to be an alcoholic 4-5g.

Table kvass (quick cooking)

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
13 glasses of water (35° C)
1 teaspoon of citric acid (without a slide)
1 teaspoon dry French yeast (preferably Saf-moment, without a slide)
2 tbsp. tea leaves spoons

Cooking:

Sugar, citric acid and yeast (previously mixed in a small container warm water) to fill with water.
Add strained tea leaves used as natural dye. To stir thoroughly. Insist in a warm room for 8 hours. Refrigerate and serve.
In a large glass container, put 5 kg of finely chopped apples, add 100 g of raisins and 800 g of sugar and pour 10 liters of boiled warm water.
Then add yeast and put in a warm place.
As soon as a good fermentation begins, strain the liquid, bottle and cork tightly.
After 2-3 days, kvass will be ready and can be consumed. Store in a cool place.

According to technological standards, kvass can contain up to 1.2% alcohol (usually less), but the low strength does not suit many lovers of strong drinks. Especially for them, a simple recipe for “drunk kvass” has been developed, the concentration of alcohol in which can be adjusted at your discretion, while maintaining the traditional taste.

Ingredients:

black bread - 500 grams (or 300 grams of crackers);
water - 5 liters;
sugar - 0.3-1.5 kg (depending on the desired strength);
fresh yeast - 30 grams (or 5 grams dry);
citric acid - 3 grams.

Recipe for strong kvass

1. Cut the bread into small pieces of 2-4 cm and fry in a preheated oven (160-180°C) until golden brown. This will give kvass a unique bread flavor. The stronger the roast, the more bitterness is felt in the taste.

2. Pour the finished crackers into a saucepan, pour 3 liters of boiling water, cover and leave for 2-3 hours.

3. Filter the tincture through a colander and gauze. Pour the liquid into a fermentation container, for example, regular jar. Pour the squeezed crackers again with 2 liters of boiling water in a saucepan. Stand for 50-60 minutes, then strain through cheesecloth, wring out the crumb well (no longer needed).

4. Mix the first and second infusions. Add yeast, citric acid and the first portion of sugar (300 grams). The total amount of sugar depends on the desired strength and sweetness of kvass, these indicators are regulated during the fermentation process. With 1.5 kg added, kvass will contain approximately 12-13% alcohol (the maximum possible value).

5. Mix the contents of the jar and leave for 10 hours in a dark place at room temperature. After 1-2 hours, foam and hiss should appear, which means that the kvass has successfully fermented.

6. Taste the drink, evaluate the strength (sweetness is adjusted in the next step). If the alcohol content is too low and there is no more sweetness, add a new portion of sugar (200 grams) and leave to ferment for 4-5 hours. Repeat the sugar addition procedure until the strength is acceptable.

7. Assess the sweetness of kvass, if desired, add sugar to taste and mix well. Close the jar tightly with a lid, then transfer to the refrigerator (the temperature must be below 14 degrees, but above zero) and leave for 6 hours. If desired, kvass can be poured into plastic bottles. Low temperature stops fermentation, so the sugar will no longer be processed into alcohol.

Store the drink in a cool place in hermetically sealed containers. Shelf life - 7-10 days.

This childhood friend and favorite summer drink today it is gaining more and more adherents and connoisseurs. People, tired of the abundance of chemical sodas, are returning to the original Russian, natural and healthy, homemade bread kvass.

The age of kvass is more than a thousand years - they knew how to cook it and widely used it long before the baptism of Rus'. However, although kvass is considered a native Russian drink, historical data say that kvass was known in ancient Babylon, but for some reason it did not take root there.

Historians note that before the revolution in Russia there were about 300 types of kvass. Along with bread kvass, fruit, fruit and herbal kvass were produced. On average, for each person a year in those days there were about 200 liters of this drink. Such reverence is not surprising, because kvass has many useful qualities- normalizes metabolism, improves digestion, has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular system, it contains easily digestible sugars, amino acids, vitamins B1 and E, trace elements. Yes, and just homemade kvass has a unique refreshing taste and pleasant aroma, perfectly quenches thirst, invigorates in the heat, gives strength after exhausting work and even relieves muscle fatigue.

Usually, kvass contains from 0.7 to 2.2% alcohol, but sometimes it is stronger.
In addition to all its nutritional benefits and high nutritional value bread kvass has bactericidal properties against pathogenic microorganisms - microbiologists found out in the 19th century that kvass has bactericidal properties: after 20 minutes, cholera vibrios and typhoid bacilli die in it. Kvass also contains lactic acid bacteria that normalize the intestinal microflora.

It is also curious that the famous Casanova, who visited Russia, wrote in his no less famous memoirs, "Russian boyars even drink their servants with an amazing drink that even a Venetian doge or a Tuscan duke would drink with pleasure."

Kvass often appears in Russian folk proverbs and sayings: "Russian kvass saved a lot of people", "Thin kvass is better than good water", "Kvass is good if it hits your sock", "Do not squint at someone else's kvass", "Kvass is not expensive, the road is a zest to kvass", "Switching from water to kvass", "Kvass - like bread - never gets bored", "If bread and kvass - that's all with us", even A.S. Pushkin wrote: "They like kvass air was needed."

Kvass is prepared from bread by extracting water-soluble elements from it, adding sugars and then light fermentation (fermentation). A great variety of recipes for making kvass has accumulated throughout its rich history - from simple to very complex and time-consuming. I bring to your attention a just tested recipe for making homemade bread kvass from my own hop sourdough for bread. This kvass is made completely without the use of thermophilic (baking) yeast, the dangers of which have been much talked about lately.

Homemade kvass is based on the starter for ordinary homemade bread on hop. Take a suitable container (I took a two-liter jar, then the recipe is based on a 2-liter container) and place a couple of tablespoons of homemade bread sourdough in it, add 3-5 tablespoons of honey (sugar) and crushed crackers until the total volume is filled by about 1/4 used capacity. It would also be nice to make breadcrumbs on your own, from your own bread, but you can also use store-bought bread, for example Borodinsky, which contains fermented malt and (at least it says on the label) there are no bakery ones. Before use, it is advisable to crush the crackers to the state of store-bought "dry kvass" - for better fermentation.

After everything is done, pour water into the container (I used ordinary tap water, previously poured into an open container and set aside for at least half an hour), cover tightly with gauze and leave to ferment for two to three days.

When bread kvass is ready, pour it into a clean bowl, add sugar to taste (if you plan to make okroshka, you can not add it, it usually tastes better when kvass is sour) and refrigerate until pleasantly cooled ...

p.p.s. If you do not plan to make bread on your own, and you do not have a starter for hops, you can contact us, we will share with you the starter from our homemade bread kvass, which, over time, is accumulated in excessive quantities.

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