Homemade bread kvass is perhaps the only drink that can not only quench thirst, but also saturate a person. The first recipes of kvass from brown bread appeared several centuries ago. A tasteful refreshing drink has gained incredible popularity among ordinary Russian people and nobles.
The value of homemade kvass
Homemade kvass from crackers of black bread is not just a refreshing drink. Even our distant ancestors knew about its beneficial properties. He was credited with the ability to heal abdominal pain and eliminate constipation, relieve muscle pain and restore strength after a protracted illness. Modern nutritionists and doctors confirm this. The drink contains many nutrients and vitamins.
It helps strengthen immunity, especially if various components are included in the recipe for homemade kvass from black bread: currant or mint leaves , viburnum or birch sap, honey, cinnamon or even horseradish. Real bread kvass, cooked at home without any chemical additives, is the best remedy for headaches that occur after heavy libations.
You can drink this refreshing drink for both children and adults. They also use it for cooking the well-known and beloved okroshka. For this dish, experienced chefs advise using kvass from brown bread without yeast, then its taste will be soft, and unpleasant consequences in the form of light intoxication will not occur. By the way, among the many types of bread kvass, there are those that are comparable in many ways to beer because they contain alcohol. It goes without saying that children should not drink kvass prepared according to such recipes. But for many adults, he may like it.
How to cook kvass: basic tips
It's time to consider in more detail how to make kvass from brown bread. The first thing worth mentioning is the choice of dishes. Once this refreshing drink was made exclusively in barrels of hardwood. Now, in the age of modern technology, when plastic, metal and glass reign in the kitchens, the best containers for creating a refreshing drink are glass jars of 3 liters or more, as well as enamelled metal pans. Aluminum utensils should never be used, just like most types of plastic. The fact is that they can release various substances into kvass, changing its characteristics: taste, color and aroma, and the content of useful substances. Before preparing a drink, it is better to sterilize the container or rinse it well with soda.
Almost every recipe for homemade brown bread kvass contains instructions to cover the dishes with a cloth. For these purposes, chintz or linen napkins are best suited. Before use, they must be boiled in salted water and dried without rinsing. During the fermentation of kvass, it is not recommended to move, shake the container or mix the prepared drink, since the fermentation processes can stop in it and it will turn out to be tasteless.
These are, perhaps, the main tips on how to make kvass from brown bread without errors. Next, we offer you several recipes for a foamy refreshing drink, which every housewife can master.
Classic rye bread kvass
This drink option is the basis for others. Almost all recipes of kvass from brown bread are based on these proportions of components. So, to prepare 3 liters of a drink, you need 1 kg of stale rye bread, 300 g of granulated sugar and 20 g of yeast. Bread should be cut into small slices and dried in the oven, browning until golden brown. Rusks are poured with three liters of hot water and periodically stirred for 2-3 hours. The result will be about 3 liters of wort - the basis of kvass. To make classic kvass from brown bread at home, it remains to add sugar and a yeast diluted in a small amount of the same bread infusion to 20 degrees. Then leave the dishes with the drink in a warm place for at least 12 hours, covering it with a clean cloth.
After this time, the kvass gently, so as not to raise the dregs from the bottom of the dishes, is poured into clean bottles, tightly corked and transferred to a cool room for 2-3 days. After that, the drink is considered ready to drink.
Kvass homemade with raisins
Many recipes for kvass from brown bread involve the use of raisins. At the same time, dried grapes must not be washed before preparing the drink, since the substances on their surface are necessary for initiating chemical processes in the prepared beverage. Thanks to this, kvass from black bread with raisins and acquires a completely new, bright taste.
The basis of this drink is the classic bread kvass mentioned above. The only difference is that during the bottling of a drink you need to add 4-5 raisins to each. Kvass thus prepared is left for about a day, after which it is tightly corked and placed in the refrigerator for at least 4 days.
Kvass is golden
Like other recipes of kvass from brown bread, this one contains a method for preparing kvass wort, which includes rye crackers (1 kg), water (5-6 l), sugar (5 tbsp. L.), 2 tbsp. l dry baker's yeast and a handful of raisins. The preparation of the basis for this type of kvass occurs in the same way as in the previous recipes. Its peculiarity is that raisins are added to the must simultaneously with half the sugar and yeast. The drink is infused in a warm place for 3-4 days, after which it must be carefully drained into another container, where the remaining sugar is also added. Next, pour kvass into dark bottles. In each you need to add 2-3 raisins and tightly clog. Kvass should ripen for at least 2 days in a cold place.
Kvass bread without yeast
If you want to make kvass from brown bread at home for the whole family, including children, you will definitely like this recipe, because the drink will turn out to be guaranteed non-alcoholic. So, for its preparation you will need rye or plain brown bread, 10 liters of water and a glass of sugar. Sliced bread should be fried over an open fire until a noticeable crust appears. If in places it gets a little charred, that's okay. Next, you need to fill it with boiled water, pour in sugar and leave it in a warm, sunny place for fermentation for at least 2 days. After that, the drink can be bottled and refrigerated. This kvass is especially tasty when cold, it is great for making okroshka.
Kvass with mint
This type of drink is prepared in the same way as classic kvass, with the only difference being that a glass of mint infusion is added to the must. This will require 2-3 tbsp. l dried mint greens per 5 liters of wort. Greens should be poured with boiling water and left for several hours for infusion, after which the resulting infusion is poured into the prepared wort. Kvass with mint has a very delicate aroma and a refreshing effect on the body. It is especially good to use it on hot days when other drinks are not able to quench your thirst.
Another version of bread kvass with mint is prepared as follows: a handful of rye flour is brewed with boiling water and left for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, a classic wort is made from browned brown bread in the oven. Sugar (1 cup per 5 liters of wort), a bunch of fresh mint and sourdough from rye flour are added to the finished base. The drink is infused for only a day, after which it can be bottled and cooled.
Hemp bread kvass
Unusual recipes for bread kvass from brown bread, which includes hemp kvass, should be recognized by any housewife. They will help diversify the taste of homemade soft drinks. In addition, kvass with hemp seeds has a relaxing and calming effect. To prepare it, you will need about a kilogram of hemp seeds, 300 g of hop cones, 150 g of caraway seeds, 700 g of Borodino bread, 1300 g of honey and 5 liters of water. All components, except bread, are placed in a pot of water and slowly heated, without bringing to a boil. Then add bread to the broth and cool it quickly. After this, the kvass is again heated to 40 degrees and immediately bottled. The drink is infused for at least 5 days, after which it can be drunk.
Kvass with currant leaf
Currant homemade kvass has an exquisite aroma and piquant taste. It should not be used for cooking okroshka - it is good in itself. To prepare it, you will need 4 liters of wort made from 500 g of rye crackers and 200 g of sugar, 40 g of yeast and 7-10 leaves of black currant. The drink is infused in an apartment day or night, after which it is filtered in bottles. In each you need to put zest. Tightly corked bottles are placed in a cold place for 3 days.
Bread kvass on birch sap
Unlike classic kvass recipes, birch sap is used instead of water to make this kind of drink. It can not be heated during the preparation of the wort, as this will cause the destruction of nutrients. Since the extraction of birch sap was carried out mainly in the spring, the reserves of kvass from it represented a real treasure. It was customary to serve such drinks on the festive table; they seriously drunk seriously ill men and women in the postpartum period. To taste, it is not much different from the classic kvass. It can be prepared in different variations: with mint, currants and raisins.
Whatever kvass you cook, remember that you need to do this with your soul. Only in this case, the drink will turn out tasty and really healthy. Please note that almost all types of homemade bread kvass contain yeast and are fermented. That is why it is not recommended to drink a soft drink before you drive. Most likely, kvass will not affect your condition, but alcohol will be contained in the blood, albeit in small quantities.