Kvass is a Slavic fermented beverage which is both simple to make and rich in flavour.
- ⏲️ Prep time: ~30 min
- ⌛ Fermentation time: ~1 week
Ingredients
- 100 g of raisins
- 100 g of sugar
- 3 slices of black bread (e.g. pumpernickel bread, rye bread)
- 1-2 lemons
- 1 pkg (7 g) of active dry yeast
- Optional:
- A handful of coffee beans
- Non-citrus fruits (e.g. plums, apples, kiwi)
Directions
- Bring 1 L of water in a pot to a boil.
- Burn black bread in a toaster or in an oven until it is thoroughly scorched to blackness on the outside.
- Once the water has come to boil, remove off heat. Add burned black bread, a handful of raisins, a few slices of lemon, and coffee beans to the pot.
- Leave contents of the pot to cool down to room temperature.
- Filter out everything from the pot through a strainer, and pour contents into a separate, sterilized container. Add sugar and yeast into the container, and stir until sugar is dissolved. This starts the fermentation process. The amount of sugar in this recipe should yield 1.0%-2.5% alcohol by total volume at the end of the fermentation process.
- Add rest of raisins, and non-citrus fruits of your choice. The fruits will positively impact flavour of the final product.
- If mixture is not already in a mason jar, pour the mixture into a sterile mason jar, and seal the lid. Place the jar in a warm place (26-30°C; 79-86°F), and let it ferment for a week, or until it stops bubbling.
- Remove all raisins and fruits from the jar.
- Squeeze lemon juice from lemons into the mixture. You may drink the now-complete kvass right away, or refrigerate it before drinking.