Kvass

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

- A handful of coffee beans

- Non-citrus fruits (e.g. plums, apples, kiwi)

Directions

1. Bring 1 L of water in a pot to a boil.

2. Burn black bread in a toaster or in an oven until it is thoroughly scorched

to blackness on the outside.

3. 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.

4. Leave contents of the pot to cool down to room temperature.

5. 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.

6. Add rest of raisins, and non-citrus fruits of your choice. The fruits will

positively impact flavour of the final product.

7. 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.

8. Remove all raisins and fruits from the jar.

9. Squeeze lemon juice from lemons into the mixture. You may drink the

now-complete kvass right away, or refrigerate it before drinking.