Make Your Own
Kefir Making Instructions
Kefir is a healthy super food, made form milk, fermented with lactic acid bacteria cultures, much like yogurt. Some experts claim that consuming kefir has even greater health benefits than those of yogurt because the kefir bacteria remains in your gut longer. One thing is certain tho — drinking kefir is good for you, and now, thanks to our kefir culture, it is super tasty and delicious!
It is super easy to make Kefir using our Bacillus Bulgaricus Kefir starter culture.
All you need is a pack of our starter and milk.
Our Kefir starter makes a mild, thick, creamy and absolutely delicious kefir. So good, that you would want to make it again and again.
Since kefir contains type of cheese cultures, it’s best if you use it with dairy milk — cow’s, sheep’s, goat’s, skim, whole, raw, or pasteurized. You can also use it with some non-dairy milks and you can use to make water kefir too!
There are two ways to make kefir – the traditional way and a fail proof way, which I personally recommend if you are having problems with the traditional way. It also yields results faster than the traditional method. The two methods are explained below.
Traditional Kefir Making Instructions
Use this method if you prefer to make your kefir the traditional way, manually or with the help of a yogurt-making machine.
- Let your milk warm up to room temperature (around 76°F / 24°C) on its own, if using pasteurized milk, or if using raw milk, bring the milk a boil then let a cup of it cool down to room temperature on its own.
- Add the starter from the pack to the milk and stir until it dissolves.
Note: Do not whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation. - Cover the jar with a lid or a towel to keep the milk clean from dust and air-borne particles. Towel is maybe better because it allows air to still go in, which speeds up activation a bit.
- Let the milk sit on your counter top for about 12-18 hours and then check if kefir has set.
Note: Kefir has set if it separates somewhat cleanly from the sides of the jar when you tilt the jar. This kefir is very viscous, almost as thick as yogurt, so you will clearly know when it has set. - If it hasn’t set in that time, keep it going and check every couple of hours until it sets. Sometimes kefir may take up to 48 hours to set depending on the ambient temperature and other conditions in your environment.
- Move it to the fridge and keep it there for at least 2 hrs before eating it. Cooling the kefir will help it thicken and improve its taste.
- Enjoy!
Do not forget to save a cup of the ready-made kefir to use for making your next batch! Keep that in the fridge and make sure you use it to make your new kefir within 3-4 days to ensure all bacteria is viable and in great condition.
Advice for your peace of mind: If at any point during the later stages of fermentation you are in doubt that the process is working, simply dip a knife straight down into the milk and take it out. if it’s slimy then things are already happening, if it’s clean, then incubation hasn’t started yet and you’ll need to wait a bit longer to test again. Kefir will always turn out if given enough time.
Fail Proof Kefir Making Instructions
Use this method if you have difficulties getting good results with the traditional method or would like to get your results faster, try this fail-proof manual method instead.
This method will guarantee that you will always get the best results when making kefir. It is designed to outline the small pitfalls in the kefir making process and to make it easier for you to avoid them.
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil. Milk boils at about 212°F / 100°C. Be careful not to burn it, otherwise your kefir will inherit the burnt taste.
Note: You are doing this in order to kill any existing bacteria in the milk, which could react with the starter strains. You are also doing it because heating the milk denatures its proteins and realigns its fat molecules in a way that makes a more superior kefir. - Set aside a cup (200ml) from the milk.
Note: You are doing this because the milk in the cup will cool down faster than the rest and you will be able to give the starter more time to thaw and start the incubation process. - Keep the rest of the milk in the container you heated it (or distribute it to the culturing containers – 1L mason jars work the best).
- When the milk in the cup is at 86-90ºF / 30-32ºC (it will feel lukewarm to the touch), add the starter from the pack to it then gently stir it until it dissolves, about a minute.
Note: You are adding the starter to the milk in cup, not to the milk in the containers! - When the rest of the milk (in the containera) is ready, at 90ºF / 32ºC, distribute the milk from the cup (the one with the starter) to the jars, proportionally to their volume.
- Gently stir the milk in the jars.
Note: At no time whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation. - Place a blanket in your microwave (or oven).
Note: Microwaves and ovens are thermo-insulated. By incubating inside them, you make sure you minimize heat loss. - Place the jars in the microwave on the blanket.
- Loosely cover the jars with their lids or a towel.
- Cover with and wrap around another blanket or a large towel. Make sure the blankets are covering the jars from all directions to minimize heat loss. This will make sure jars stay warm all throughout the incubation process.
- Leave overnight (about 8 hours). Check to make sure kefir has set, if it hasn’t, leave it longer and check every couple of hours, until it sets.
- Move to the fridge and keep there for at least 2 hrs before eating it. Cooling the kefir will help it thicken and improve its taste.
- Enjoy!
Do not forget to save a cup of the ready-made kefir to use for making your next batch! Keep that in the fridge and make sure you use it to make your new kefir within 3-4 days to ensure all bacteria is viable and in great condition.
Our Kefir starter makes a mild, thick, creamy and absolutely delicious kefir. So good, that you would want to make it again and again.