Milk kefirs, when consumed improve immunity and bone health. This fermented mixture is cultured from dairy milk or non-dairy replacements are available as well. Immunity is an important factor amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our health is more important than ever. The origin of kefir grains and how they were first cultured is still a mystery. However, sharing the mother culture made sure that the grains are available even today. You can find many articles available online about how to make milk kefir.
Finding the right grains & nurturing them
Happy Kombucha has a good selection of original kefirs if you like to start brewing your culture. Their article on how to start brewing covers all details when you are doing it the first time. Their packs offer fine cultured kefir grains, these grains are the mother culture. They are used to brew your batch of kefir grains.
How to Do it?
Happy Kombuchas packs their kefir grains in sachets. Once your order reaches you, cut and empty the packet into 250ml milk. They suggest using organic milk for brewing. Inorganic milk has antibiotics that will kill the bacteria. You can use any milk, cow, goat, or even nut milk. If you use raw milk, you have to stir the milk continuously so the suggest pasteurized milk is better.
Kefir is best cultured when kept in a warm environment(20-30C). The first brew usually takes 24-48 hours. Later, stir the mixture and pour it through a plastic sieve. Handle the culture like a living organism. You don’t want to kill your kefirs. Never use steel or other metal utensils. Repeat the process until you get thick kefir.
It usually takes 4-5 brews to get thick kefir. First batches of kefir might be too sour, or less sour, or not so thick. Don’t panic, but continue till you get the right thickness and sour. There is no textbook tutorial for brewing kefir. Experiment with steps and find what gives your best brew.
What Next?
Once the grains settle down. Take it out and keep them in storage jars that you can buy online. Add milk and let it ferment. Now, the longer you ferment it, the sourer the kefir milk be. However, the concentration of milk and grain also affects the result. You have to find the right ferment period and grain concentration that works for you. Happy Kombuchas has a very descriptive explanation about how to make your first brew and have even created a helpful video so that you will not be stuck anywhere in the process.