How to make kvass from bread - 11 step by step recipes

Kvass is a traditional drink with a rich history dating back centuries. In ancient Russia, it was cooked everywhere. Each housewife knew how to cook kvass from bread at home.

Traditionally, kvass was obtained as a result of fermentation from malt and flour with the addition of honey, aromatic and healthy herbs, vegetables, berries. There are many modern options for preparing kvass - from time-consuming to unhurried, from classic according to the recipe to innovative and exotic, for example, oats kvass.

In the article, I will talk about popular ways of making a nationwide Slavic drink and give delicious step-by-step recipes.

Classic rye bread kvass

• I cut the bread into thin slices, spread it on a baking sheet. I turn on the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. If necessary, reduce the temperature. I make sure that the sliced ​​slices are dried, not burnt.
• I put water on the stove, pour the sugar. After boiling water, add ready-made bread croutons. I remove the pan from the stove and leave it alone for several hours. The kvass base should cool to a temperature slightly warmer than room temperature.
• Add yeast to the cooled mixture. Mix thoroughly until completely dissolved.
• I cover the wort with a towel and leave for a day. In a day I get kvass with a slight sweet and sour taste. For a more intense and pronounced taste, I give the wort to brew another day. I filter through a multilayer cheesecloth, pour into banks and set to cool. Done!

Yeast-free kvass recipe

A simple recipe for your favorite kvass without any philosophies with yeast and claims to originality.

• Sugar - 1 tablespoon,
• Water - 3 L
• Rye bread - 400 g

1. I take bread, crumble in a 3-liter jar to fill the bottom. I do not dry beforehand.
2. Pour water at room temperature, pour sugar.
3. Cover with a glass lid that allows the drink to breathe. I leave to wander. The warmer the house, the faster the kvass will reach. 2-3 days are enough.

The obtained kvass can be used for okroshka, pickling meat. Ground is applied several times. Before the next cooking, be sure to add some bread and some sugar.

Quick cooking method

Do you want to learn how to make a homemade drink with a pleasant acidity and a sweet-caramel taste in half an hour? Follow the recipe.

• Water - 2.5 L
• Dry yeast - 2 teaspoons,
• Citric acid - 1 small spoon,
• Sugar - 200 g.

1. I take warm boiled water and pour it into a jar. I put citric acid and yeast. Mix slowly and thoroughly.
2. I make burnt sugar. I throw off the granulated sugar into a separate pan. Turn on medium heat. I wait until the sugar turns golden brown. It is very important not to overexpose it on fire. Otherwise, the drink will turn out to be bitter. Add 150 g of cold water to the brown mass, mix thoroughly.
3. I combine the sugar and the resulting mixture in a jar. I mix again.
4. I cover the upper part of the jar with a thick cloth (kitchen towel) and put it in a warm place for half an hour. I pour it into containers and send it to cool in the refrigerator.That’s all wisdom!

How to make kvass from white bread and yeast

The main feature of the recipe is the use of a loaf of white bread. It will give kvass an unusual golden hue.

• Water - 3 L
• Bread - 150-200 g,
• Dry baking yeast - half a teaspoon,
• Sugar - 4 tablespoons,
• Raisins - 30 g.

How to cook:

1. I cut bread. I dry the slices in a preheated oven and pour into a 3-liter jar.
2. Pour water and leave for 30 minutes, allowing crackers to soften. After half an hour I add sugar, yeast and raisins. Stir thoroughly.
3. Cover (loose) and leave for 1-2 days. The saturation of kvass taste and its acidity directly depends on the amount of time. Then I filter and pour on the bottles. I put it in the refrigerator for storage.

Cooking video

Kvass from bread for okroshka with mint

• Water - 2 L
• Borodino bread - 350 g,
• Raisins - 50 g
• Mint is a small bunch.

1. I am preparing a mint infusion. I douse the grass with boiling water and leave to insist.
2. I cut a loaf into small cubes and drop them into a jar. Thoroughly wash my raisins and throw them to the bread. Pour herbal infusion and add to a jar of boiled water. I close the lid.
3. Leave for a day in a warm place. Then I pour it into the bottle, carefully separating the thick with a gauze. I screw the lid and put it in the refrigerator.

Useful advice. The taste of okrosy kvass will become more saturated if you add leaves of fresh currant to mint.

Simple okass kvass

• Bakery yeast - 50 g,
• Water - 7 L
• Rye bread - 2 kg
• Sugar - 2 tablespoons with a slide.

1. I grind bread, dry it in the oven. I shift the browned pieces into the pan and pour over boiling water. Leave for 4 hours, letting the bread brew.
2. I drain the liquid, add the yeast, pour the sugar. Thoroughly mix and expose the drink to heat. I give kvass to brew for 5-6 hours. I filter and cool.

Wonderful home-made quick-brew kvass is ready for okroshka!

Oatmeal recipe without sourdough

• Oatmeal - 1 kg,
• Sugar - 5 tablespoons,
• Water - 2 liters,
• Raisins - 20 g.

1. I rinse the oats thoroughly. I put it in a jar, add sugar with raisins.
2. I pour boiled water.
3. I cover with a cloth and put in a warm place. I am waiting for 2 days.
4. For the first time, the drink will acquire a sweetish, but slightly expressed taste, so I merge it.
5. I fall asleep sugar and pour fresh water. I leave for another two days. After the set time, I strain the aromatic drink with a slight acidity and pour into the bottle.
6. I close it with a lid and leave it for 12 hours for carbonization (natural carbonation).

How to make kvass from bread and raisins

• Borodino bread - 4 slices,
• Raisins - 3 tablespoons of a dark grade, 1 small spoon - light,
• Dry yeast - 4 g,
• Sugar - 4 tablespoons,
• Water - 3 l.

1. I properly dry Borodino bread. In a natural way, without an oven. I cut into slices and leave on a baking sheet, in the open for 1 day.
2. I take a frying pan and brown the bread. Ready crackers should cool. I throw it off in a pot or jar.
3. Add sugar, yeast, dried berries.
4. I pour warm water. Gently mix. I close the jar tightly with gauze and leave to cook for a day.
5. Separate the leaven from the drink. I use a sieve, then cheesecloth.
6. I pour it in bottles, add more white raisins. To get a richer taste I put in the refrigerator for 2 days.

It takes a long time to prepare kvass according to the recipe, but the result will live up to expectations. Kvass from bread and raisins will turn out to be very fragrant and spicy.

Do bread and millet kvass

• Brown bread crusts - 3 pieces,
• Millet - 2 cups,
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons,
• Water - 3 l.

1. Dry chopped bread in the oven. I put in a 3-liter jar of cereal, cooked crackers, sugar. Thoroughly interfere.
2. Pour boiled water, close the jar. I let it brew for two days.
3. You will understand the readiness of kvass by the formation of bubbles.Gently pour the drink, fill it with pre-prepared bottles. I keep in the refrigerator.

Useful Tips

• Do not throw out wheat leaven; on its basis, you can make a stronger and more aromatic drink.
• To give an original taste to wheat kvass, add two components - coriander and caraway seeds.

How to cook Russian kvass in a barrel

A classic old recipe for making a delicious drink in a barrel.

• Crushed rye malt - 1 kg,
• Crushed barley malt - 600 g,
• Rye flour - 600 g
• Rye bread (preferably hardened or weathered) - 80 g,
• Rye crackers - 130 g,
• Mint leaves - 30 g,
• Molasses - 1 kg.

1. I make dough based on flour, malt and 3 liters of water. Knead thoroughly in large containers. Cover with a dense fabric. I let it brew for 1 hour.
2. I shift the dough into cast iron dishes (you can have another, most importantly with refractory properties), put in a preheated oven. After evaporation, thoroughly knead the dough and leave for 1 day.
3. I cut the bread. I spread the dough in a large tank, pour 16 liters of boiling water. Add crackers and crushed bread. Thoroughly interfere and leave alone for 8 hours.
4. After the beginning of the fermentation of the wort, pour the liquid into the barrel. The barrel should be steamed and thoroughly washed. These are mandatory hygienic actions that have a beneficial effect on the future aroma and contribute to the disinfection of the tank.
5. Pour the remaining sourdough with boiling water. I wait 3 hours. I pour the kvass base into the barrel, add the mint infusion and leave for fermentation.
6. Sending a barrel to the glacier cellar. After calming down the fermentation process, I put the molasses (the calculation is as follows: 1 kg sweetener per 30-liter barrel). I seal the sleeve. I wait 4 days.
7. The drink can be stored for several months without loss of taste. The main thing is not to expose to heat, install in a cold place with a constant temperature.

The most vigorous kvass

• Dry yeast - 30 g
• Black bread - 800 g
• Boiled water - 4 l,
• Honey - 100 g
• Horseradish - 100 g
• Sugar - 80 g
• Raisins - to taste.

1. I cut the bread and spread it on a baking sheet. I put in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees. Fry until golden, slightly brown.
2. Pour the crackers with boiling water. I insist 4 hours. I take gauze, filter the wort. I add yeast, throw sugar and put in a warm place for fermentation.
3. After 6-7 hours, I pour the almost finished drink into bottles. I put in each 2-3 pieces of raisins for flavor.
4. I don’t close until I notice the formation of bubbles near the bottleneck. Only then I seal the bottles and set in the refrigerator for two hours.
5. I rub horseradish on grater. Add honey. I stir the mixture with a small amount of the finished drink. After carefully pour the vigorous infusion into the bottle, allowing the kvass to “reach” for 4 hours.

Note Tips

• Be careful when choosing cookware. Kvass does not tolerate tanks and tanks that are susceptible to oxidation. The best solution is an enameled pan, stainless steel dishes or a good old can.
• Do not allow peroxidation. Fermentation depends on the temperature in the room where the kvass is cooked and infused. The higher it is, the faster you will get the desired result.
• Raisins are not just a flavoring supplement, but a great helper in saturating a drink with carbon dioxide.
• Do not bake bread in the oven. Dry better in a natural way. Otherwise, the taste will be bitter.

History of Kvass

The first mention of a miraculous and delicious drink dates from the ancient chronicles of 996. The Grand Duke of Kiev and Novgorod lands, Vladimir, in which Christianity was entrenched as a state religion, ordered people to be given “food, honey and kvass” in honor of the national holiday.

More than a millennium has passed, but the good old kvass has not lost popularity. It has a healing and invigorating effect and a huge amount of useful properties, including:

• improved metabolism;
• restoration of the water-salt balance;
• positive effect on the heart and blood vessels.

Kvass is an excellent aid to the digestive process, as it contains carbon dioxide. It is rich in vitamins of groups B and C. The yeast, which is part of the composition, strengthens the hair, prevents the formation of acne.

Let's move on to the "main dish" of the article - the recipes of real bread kvass. Note to housewives and men who love to cook.
Kvass is a healthy drink that has a beneficial effect on the body. There are many options for making kvass from bread at home on different grades of flour, with or without malt (wheat and rye). Each technology, each ingredient in the composition affects the final taste, starting from a light and pleasant berry, ending with a vigorous and tart, piercing nose.

Experiment, don't be afraid to try and make new things. Then you will definitely find your favorite recipe for the Old Slavonic drink, which will be appreciated by households!