FRESH. FIZZY. ALL NATURAL.
Meet water kefir, an all natural bubbly brew full of good bacteria with a rich, slightly tangy taste.
I used to be terrified of making water kefir. In fact it took about 3 years of buying grains and leaving the semi-solid translucent grains smoulder in their jar in the fridge before I finally took the plunge and made my first batch.
What was I afraid of? So many vague notions.
- Getting it wrong and killing the grains.
- Having a dubious mess sitting somewhere on a shelf in my house.
- Not having a warm enough temperature in winter in Ireland.
- Having too warm a temp in summer and exploding a jar.
- And I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start.
Sigh.
So earlier this year I bought yet another batch of water kefir grains while having the best quiche ever down in Ballymaloe House in East Cork. The very next day I added them to the recommended sugary water, with a slice of lemon for acid and some dried fruit for minerals. I saw bubbles the following day and 2.5 days later I had sparkling water kefir. So simple.
I used brown demerara sugar (which still has some molasses in it) so my end water kefir is a light brown colour with a rich, slightly spicy, fermented taste.
The sugar in the recipe is for the grains to eat, not for you, so by the time the ferment is done, it’s low in sugar. Left a little longer the grains continue to eat the sugar and the taste veers to a ‘drier’ ferment. I’m totally obsessed.
Once it’s fermented to taste (I like about 4 days), it’s just a matter of removing the dried fruit, straining the water through a sieve to catch the translucent grains and bottling the kefir in a bottle suitable for fizzy water.
At this stage your choice of flavour can be added with fruit, veg, herbs or spices. This flavouring stage is known as the second ferment and it happens in the fridge where it ferments at slower pace. Just a little is needed to infuse flavour. Some flavour ideas are:
– rhubarb and strawberry
– mint and lime
– cinnamon stick (my personal favourite as it tastes like cola)
– cucumber and lemon
– ginger with lime
– turmeric with orange rind
The list is endless! Find your own favourite and be sure to open the bottle daily to let out gas pressure as it builds. Drink straight or as a concentrate topped up with fizzy water.
The kefir grains can be reused immediately in a new batch of sugar water, lemon and dried fruit or stored in a jar in the fridge with water and a little sugar to feed off to use another time.
Probiotic Water Kefir
Equipment
- 1 1.5 l kilner jar (51 fl oz)
Ingredients
- 160 g rehydrated kefir grains
- 1.25 l non-chlorinated water (at room temperature)
- 90 g demerara sugar (or white or soft brown sugar)
- 1 or 2 slice lemon
- 1 dried fig (or 2 dates, 1 - 2 tsp raisins or sultanas)
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken (or your choice of flavouring)
Instructions
- Add the sugar to the water and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.
- If you are in a cooler environment, heat a cup of warm water from the 1.25l to dissolve sugar in and add to the main batch of water once the sugar has dissolved. This also brings the water temp up slightly. NEVER use boiling or hot water for the full solution, it will kill the grains.
- Add the kefir grains to the sugar solution, and top with the dried fruit and lemon slice.
- Cover and leave to ferment at room temperature*.
- If using lid to cover, remove the rubber seal so it isn't fully airtight. Otherwise tie some fabric over the top to keep out any contamination.
- When you've achieved your desiered sweetness level, remove the dried fruit and strain the kefir granules.
- Either roll the kefir grains into a new batch of sugar water and make another batch of water kefir, or store refrigerated covered in water with a little sugar to feed on.
- Pour into bottles suitable for fizzy drinks, making sure to leave a little space.
- Add your desired flavours and tighten cap.
- Refrigerate for 24 to 28 hours.
- Drink straight or with fizzy water added.
- If not consuming immediately, burp, ie. open the lid every day or two to let carbonation build up escape.
- *So what's room temperature. I'm going to say it's about 18 - 26 degrees.
- The warmer the room, the quicker the ferment.
- However water kefir can still ferment from 5 degrees or so to about 30 degrees.
- The temperature in my home is about 10 - 18 degrees at the moment and it fermented happily, so don't be too worried if you don't live in a very warm climate.
- Nutrition label is an estimate, sugar content is completely dependent on length of fermentation. Below is based on 4 days first fermentation and 24 hrs second ferment. Without a refractometer (which is ordered) it's impossible to be sure.
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