Ingredients:
- 1 litre/quart of whole milk (see note below on what milk to use)
- 1 Tbsp (heaping) of kefir grains
- About 24 hours of patience
Method:
- Bring the milk to room temperature either by boiling and cooling or leaving it out for a bit
- Transfer to a clean glass jar
- Add the kefir grains
- Loosely cover with a cheese cloth and let sit on the counter away from direct sunlight
- Shake or stir periodically (to spread the microbial activity).
- Kefir is ready, when you can see that it has thickened a bit (It took around 24 hours in California spring climate, longer if I want it sour)
- Stir the kefir one last time. Remove the kefir grains. I just use clean hands or a spoon. (I found straining it a bit tedious. See notes below on keeping the grains going.)
- Enjoy the kefir
Notes:
- Keeping the grains going:
- Transfer the harvested grains to a clean jar, pour fresh milk over it and make the next batch.
- If you have too much kefir, but wish to save the grains, put them in the refrigerator in some milk for up to 2 or 3 days. Feed them periodically with fresh milk or else they will die.
- The grains will multiply. You can simply mix in the grains with the kefir or share it with friends.
- What milk to use:
- Regarding the type of milk to use, Sandor Katz says he always uses whole milk, raw when available, pasteurized if not. I used whole pasteurized milk. Even if you use raw milk, some people believe in boiling it and cooling it to room temperature to kill of the other bacteria (though they may be beneficial) already present in the milk so as to not contaminate the kefir. Please let me know in comments below on your experience.
- There is a myth going around not to use metal containers or strainers when making kefir, but both Sandor Katz's book and Dom's website deny this. Stainless steel should be perfectly fine.
- Store-bought kefir will likely not have the same benefits as home-made for several reasons