Milk Kefir
Ingredients
Instructions
Clean:
Clean everything well with regular soap (avoid antimicrobial soaps). This includes hands, glass jugs, spoons- everything!
Assemble:
Add 1.5 Tbsps (ish) of the kefir grains to 1 liter of whole, raw milk in a large glass jug/ mason jar.
Cover the jug with either a few layers of paper towels or a few paper coffee filters. Secure with a rubber band to prevent any bugs or dust from getting in.
Ferment:
Set in a warm, dark spot (65 to 85°F / 18 to 29°C) for about 24 hours. You’ll know your kefir is done when it has slightly thickened and smells fermented. If you kefir has separated into yellowish watery-looking whey, that’s fine! It’s just a sign that you can either reduce the length of fermentation next time or use more milk in future.
Strain:
Place a wide non-metal bowl under a fine-mesh non-metal colander (a plastic colander is great here). Pour finished kefir into the colander, stirring with a plastic or wooden spoon to gently force the kefir milk through.
The grains will remain behind and can be saved for your next batch.
Start new batch:
Rinse out the large jar that you fermented the grains in, then add the grains back into it.
Add 1 liter of fresh milk to start the process over again!
Store fresh kefir:
Transfer the finished kefir that collected in the wide bowl and transfer it to a sealable jar.
Store in the fridge for around 2 weeks.
Enjoy a small glass every day for the gold standard prescription of probiotic gut treatment!
