What you’ll need:
- 1 Sachet of HealthCultivated kefir starter culture ( you can ferment from 1 to 3 liters of milk with 1 sachet of kefir starter )
- Milk (cow, goat, lactose free)
Unlike yogurt, kefir is fermented at a lower temperature. The temperature for kefir fermentation is 22 – 29°C. So you can make kefir at room temperature as long as it isn’t below 22 °C.
1. Bring the milk almost to the boil, cool to 22-29 °C.
2. Put the Kefir starter culture into the milk.
Mix thoroughly. You can prepare kefir in the original milk packaging or pour the milk into aglass jar. Cover the jar with a coffee filter or cloth secured by a rubber band.
3. Leave it to ferment in a warm place away from cool breezes.
You can leave the milk in a cupboard or switched-off oven if the temperature in a room is not lower than 22°C. In a colder season, you can wrap your milk mixture in a towel and find a warm place in your house, for example near the water heater or use a thermos flask that can hold a steady temperature for 12-24 hours.
The temperature of the mixture shouldn’t fall below 22 °C. The fermentation time for kefir is about 12-24 hours depending on the temperature.
4. After fermentation, make sure that the product has thickened properly.
Kefir has finished culturing when the consistency is close to single cream or buttermilk and slightly fizzy. The more you ferment, the more tart and sour your kefir will be.
If it hasn’t cultured yet, continue the fermentation process for 1-2 hours more and check again. You can drink it right after cooling, but kefir tastes best after maturing in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Consume within 5-7 days.