Making milk kefir - first forays
Milk kefir is the most amazing concoction. Seeing the process in action, the smells, the changes in consistency of the milk is really quite thrilling.
There is plenty of information on the internet on varying styles and approaches to fermenting milk kefir, so do have a look around other websites too.
There is a certain pioneering feeling that comes with taking basic advice but then working out what suits us as individuals and home fermenting gives us the freedom to do that.
Milk kefir has a broader range of lactobacillus community in it than water kefir (30-50 strains rather than 10-15). It is easy to make and it is currently the most widely investigated fermented food in relation to its impact on health (although more high quality research is needed). My milk kefir has been characterised by a lab so I know which microbes were in it at the point the lab did the test (2021).
The grains are made of bacteria and yeasts and they digest the lactose in the milk, breed and populate the milk. If you are lactose intolerant, it is worth trying it, because the microbes pre-digest the lactose - often making it more digestible and better tolerated. When you consume milk kefir, you are consuming beneficial microbes as well as the biochemicals they produce which can also support health. The microbial action in milk kefir is an anaerobic (no oxygen) process, so you need to shut the lid on the jar.
Milk kefir recipe
Equipment
A plastic sieve
2 kilner jars – I do my first ferment in a 500ml kilner because that holds enough to make my daily intake of milk kefir. I also use 500ml ones for the second ferment and to store in the fridge because that is how much I get through by the time the next batch is ready. What you need in terms of jars will depend on the amount you intend to consume. You need two kilner jars because as you strain the first batch into a jar, you reload a fresh kilner for the next batch.
Milk, ideally organic whole milk.
Milk kefir grains, communities of bacteria and yeast.
A wooden spoon for helping to strain off the kefir from the grains – some websites suggest not using any metal with kefir (due to the lactic acid given off in the fermenting process and its possible interaction with metal). I don’t think this really matters in terms of brief contact (I have metal cup measures) but I wouldn’t store the kefir or ferment it in metal containers.
Cup measures
The variables involved in fermenting milk kefir
Temperature, the warmer it is, the faster they will ferment.
Time, the longer I leave the brew, the more I will see the curd (thick creamy bit of milk) separating from the whey (the watery bit) and it all going more and more lumpy. This is because the longer I leave it, the more lactose (milk sugar) the grains digest and the more lactic acid they produce. If left too long, they will eventually run out of their food supply, which is not good for them. My aim is to keep the time variable constant. I make mine every 24 - 48 hours to provide me with fresh milk kefir daily.
Amount of milk, obviously the proportion of milk to grains is a factor because it provides the microbes with their food source.
Amount of grains, these grow gradually over time so watch out for that. 1 tsp to start with will grow and unless you split the extra off, your milk will start turning to kefir more and more quickly unless, of course, you add more milk. And then you will have more kefir to drink…
Oxygen, the microbial action in milk kefir is an anaerobic process (no oxygen) but the milk creates a sufficient barrier to air so you don’t need to worry about keeping the grains submerged. I do close the lid on my milk kefir kilner jars too.
Cleanliness, I am not obsessing about the cleanliness of utensils. I either hand wash them in hot water or wash them in the dish washer.
If things don’t quite work out and I can’t see the milk taking on a life of its own within the 24 hr period, I either need to wait longer or tweak one of my variables.
Ingredients
1.5 cups of milk
1 tsp of milk kefir grains
Method
Add the milk and the kefir grains together in a kilner jar.
Leave with the lid sealed. While carbon dioxide gas is a byproduct of milk kefir fermentation, it happens pretty slowly. Ideally, use rubber seal kilner jars as this allows the gas to escape through the rubber seal.
Watch for developments, action seems to start from the top down and this highly attractive cottage cheese-like scab forms on the top of the milk pretty rapidly. The grains seem to work their way from the top down through the milk.
I leave mine for around 24-48 hours, my combination of milk and grains at the temperature of my ferment cupboard means the milk kefir is ready within that time. If the response is a bit slow, I will adjust one of the other variables.
Leave somewhere warm-ish (18-21 °C) and ideally in view. The colder it is, the slower they will ferment and the hotter it is, the faster they will work. When starting out, keep them in view so that you don’t forget about it plus, it is really fascinating to watch. Look for it starting to turn lumpy.
After 24-48 hrs strain off the grains with a sieve. The kefir (the thick milk minus the grains) should be nice and thick like yoghurt. My grains took a while to adjust and get into their groove so don’t get disheartened if your kefir starts off fizzy but a bit thin and watery. If your variables aren’t quite right and you haven’t seen any of the above occurring, then I would move it somewhere warmer and sit it out for a bit longer. For me, I adjust the milk and grain combination to ensure my cycle is a 24-48 hour one – you may have a different approach.
Repeat the above process with 1tsp of grains to make the next batch. Watch to keep the amount of grains consistent as they will grow over time.
With the kefir I have made, I like to do a second ferment. I take the kefir I have made and put it into a half litre kilner. I add a small amount of fruit, a couple of peelings of orange peel, a few strawberries or some banana and then leave it to ferment again. This time, the bacteria in the kefir use not only the lactose in the milk but also the sugar in the fruit. After a few hours. I can see the curds and whey separating again. Then I remove the fruit (eat if edible) and drink the kefir or put it in the fridge for later.
If I go away, I either take them with me or I just put the grains in a kilner of milk and leave in the fridge. The grains will continue working but at a MUCH slower pace.
It may sound complicated, but it really isn’t once you get going and, if you get into the swing of it, you will have a lifetime’s full supply of beneficial microbes in a wonderfully natural and cheap form.
We are all individual, this is the basics of my practice, but this wonderful process is totally interactive and involves each of us working out what volume/rate/fermentation time/flavor best suits us and the environment in which we are doing it. That takes a bit of experimenting and it involves trusting our senses of taste and smell and adjusting our process to suit us.
There is so much information online, enjoy exploring. You will see that there are so many different ways to ferment milk kefir, enjoy finding your own.
