Homemade Kvass From Rye Bread. Bread Pudding. Step-by-step Recipe With Photo

Try to make real rye kvass at home - deliciously smelling of black bread, with a light airy foam, completely natural! You can't buy that in a store, but what is there! - even barrel kvass cannot be compared with a home-made drink, refreshing and invigorating from the very first sip, wonderfully quenching thirst, tasty and satisfying like bread. No wonder the people say: "Bread and kvass - that's the way it is with us!"

Bottled kvass is nothing more than a synthetic surrogate, soda with taste imitators, the so-called "kvass drink". Well, how kvass is prepared and stored in barrels is a topic for a separate discussion. You will make a homemade drink not from an "unknown substance", but from real rye croutons, fresh yeast, sugar and pure water. For taste, add a few raisins and a couple of lemon slices (optional, since the drink itself acquires sourness during fermentation).

Bread kvass, unlike sweet carbonated water, perfectly quenches thirst, refreshes and tones up thanks to the fermentation products it contains: lactic acid and a small percentage of alcohol (about 0.5%). The drink contains enzymes, amino acids and sugars necessary for the body; vitamins E and group B; saturates the body with carbohydrates, proteins, mineral salts of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and manganese. The content of carbonic and lactic acids contributes to a good appetite, improved digestion and metabolism.

The ancient peoples knew about the beneficial, dietary and healing properties of kvass. The first mentions of an Egyptian drink like kvass and beer date back to the 3rd millennium BC. Kvass was prepared by the Greeks and Romans. The Slavs have known him for over a thousand years and is the favorite drink of the Slavic peoples: in the Old Slavic dialects, the word "kvass" means "a treat, a feast, a holiday"! It was kvass that was the main drink at holiday festivities - this is a wonderful tradition that modern people should remember!

Due to its low alcohol content, kvass has a mild and pleasant effect on the body: invigorates, slightly cheers, and no hangover. Unlike spirits, kvass is even good for the heart and blood vessels. Therefore, it is even worth forgetting about other types of alcohol for the sake of good old kvass! It is not for nothing that it is still popular now, as it was thousands of years ago, and not only in Slavic countries: kvass is loved even in Japan!

Still, some people should refrain from kvass. Children under 3 years old, pregnant women and those who are driving are better off refreshing themselves with compotes! Also, do not "ferment" in case of liver or kidney problems, gallstones and stomach ulcers.

Previously, the drink was made on the basis of rye rusks or rye or barley malt and flour; there is honey, fruit, berry kvass.

There are many modern kvass recipes; for taste and aroma, not only raisins and lemon are added to the drink, but also mint leaves, horseradish root, honey and cinnamon … The simplest version contains the basic ingredients: bread, yeast, sugar and water. We will cook with you according to one of the classic recipes of Ukrainian cuisine: bread kvass "Zaporizhzhya".

• Cooking time: 28 hours
• Quantity: 2.6 L

Ingredients for homemade rye bread kvass

For 3.5 liters of water:

• 400-500 g of rye bread;
• 10-12 g fresh pressed yeast;
• 0.5 tbsp. sugar (80-100g);
• 5-10 raisins;
• 1/4 lemon.

Your actual participation in the preparation takes about half an hour; the rest of the time is needed for fermentation and infusion of kvass.

It is better to take the blackest bread: then the drink will have a rich taste and a beautiful dark amber color. You can also make kvass from gray bread, but then the drink turns out to be of a lighter shade, and its taste will not be so pronounced.

Good kvass is made from dark rye bread with raisins. By the way, the bread should be taken not fresh, but dried. If the bread is soft, you can dry it in the oven at a low temperature. And it is not necessary to specially buy a loaf for kvass: you can collect the pieces left after lunch, rye crusts, and then prepare a drink on their basis.

Method of making homemade bread kvass from rye bread

Put the dried bread in a clean container of a suitable size: an enamel saucepan or a glass jar. Fill with boiling water. If the entire volume of water does not fit at once, you can add it later: as the bread absorbs water, its level in the jar decreases. Pour boiling water over the bread and leave for 8 hours. You should not overstay, because the bread can ferment, and the kvass will turn out sour.

Over time, we filter the workpiece through cheesecloth, laid in a colander, squeezing out the bread. If you do not have animals that can eat cake, then you can make bread pudding from the crumb - I will share the recipe below.

Crumble yeast into the strained wort, pour sugar, add lemon slices (with zest, but without seeds). It is better to steam the lemon with boiling water for 5 minutes so that the zest does not taste bitter. Stir and leave to ferment for 8 hours in a warm place.

If for some reason you need to slow down the process (for example, after 8 hours it will be deep night and you don't want to wander into the kitchen to filter the kvass), then on the contrary, first put the kvass in a cool place - for example, in the refrigerator. And when you decide to start the fermentation process, we take it out and move it to a warm place. If the house is warm, then kvass ferments well at room temperature. Attention: in extreme heat, the fermentation process is accelerated, and the drink will be ready earlier.

Here the future kvass already smells delicious, a foam forms on its surface. Strain again through cheesecloth.

Add a few highlights.

Pour into a jar, seal it tightly. When the kvass starts to ferment again, slightly bubble, put the jar in a cool place. After 12 hours, kvass is ready (we tried it earlier, after 3-4 hours).

We store the finished kvass in the refrigerator: the taste and properties of the drink are revealed most fully if you drink it chilled. Kvass should be consumed within 2-3 days: then it becomes sour.

Now for the promised bread pudding recipe

Bread Pudding Ingredients

• rye bread left over after making kvass (initially 400 g, soaked weight is more);
• 3 eggs;
• 1 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 1/4 tsp salt;
• 20 g butter;
• 2-3 st. l. bread crumbs.

Method of making bread pudding from leavened bread

Separate the yolks from the whites.

Beat the egg whites with salt until a thick, airy foam - about 2 minutes at low speed.

Beat the yolks with sugar for 1-2 minutes, until the mass is lightened.

Stir the yolks and sugar into the soaked bread.

Then gently stir in the whipped egg whites.

It turns out a lush mass.

Lubricate the baking dish with softened butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

We spread the bread mass and evenly distribute it with a spoon, in a layer 2-3 cm thick.

We bake in the oven, preheated to 190-200 ° С, for 35-45 minutes - until the pudding “grabs”, acquiring the consistency of a tender casserole.

Taking the mold out of the oven, let the pudding cool down: it is very tender when warm. Then we cut into squares right in the form, take it out with a spatula and eat it - you can instead of bread with first courses, or you can have a bite with bread kvass!