Berry Kvass

Drinks | Russian cuisine

⏳ Time

1 hour + 2 days

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Sugar can be replaced with floral honey, and instead of starter culture, you can use 80 grams of compressed yeast.

Ingredients

Cranberry - 17.6 oz
Water - 3 qt
Raisins - 3.5 oz
Sugar - 10.6 oz
Sourdough Bread - 7 fl oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Pour boiling water over the berries, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Then remove from heat, cover with a lid, and let steep overnight.

Step 2

Strain the berry broth, add raisins to it, setting aside a few raisins to place in the bottles later.

Step 3

Next, add the sugar and pour in the starter culture. Heat the broth to a lukewarm temperature, around 20–86°F, as hot broth will kill the yeast. Then, whisk everything together and let it ferment at room temperature, covered with a cloth, for 8 to 14 hours.

Step 4

The readiness of the kvass is determined by the bubbles. When they appear on the surface, it's ready! You need to catch this moment, otherwise the kvass will sour. Once ready, strain the kvass. A bit of the sediment will remain in the pot — don't throw it away, as it will be the base for future fermentation.

Step 5

Then place 2 raisins in each bottle. This is necessary to prolong the fermentation process in the bottle. Pour the kvass into the bottles. The bottles should be stored in the refrigerator. This kvass should be consumed within 3 days; after that, it can still be consumed, but it will be too sour. Alternatively, you can skip bottling the kvass and simply move the pot to the refrigerator and drink it directly.