Kefir Info
Kefir is Easier to Make Than Yogurt
Making Kefir is easier than making yogurt. In traditional yogurt a step is needed to release the whey proteins, for a thick textured Yogurt, by increasing temperature to 185F and holding it there for 10 to 20 minutes. This step in not needed when makign Kefir.
What is Kefir
Kefir is not so familiar to folks in America but in many traditional cultures fermented milk products such as Kefir and Yogurt have been prepared at home for centuries. Culturing fresh milk into Kefir makes the nutritional factors in the milk, such as vitamins and minerals, extremely bio-available so your body can easily absorb and digest them.
Kefir contains a complex culture of many healthy, hearty bacterial strains, passed down from family to family for centuries.
Kefir can be made as a mild and thick textured milk for drinking or making into "Smoothies" or other delicious beverages as well as a more tangy thicker version that can be drained as a cheese wonderful treat similar to "Greek style" drained yogurt or even molded into a cheese and ripened further for several days or weeks. Some folks have even used the Kefir culture with rennet in making a Kefir cheese, which will use not only the lactose working bacteria but also the yeast and other Kefir components.
Why Make Kefir
So often we get comments from folks who would like to make yogurt from raw milk but do not want to increase the temperature high enough to alter the natural milk bacteria and enzymes.
Kefir is the solution. Make Kefir from this milk instead of Yogurt.
In making Kefir nothing really gets heated higher than the temperature of mama cow. This means that all of the bacteria and enzymes you have spent so much time to get in your raw milk will not be destroyed in the final Kefir product.
Comparing Kefir to Yogurt
In addition to lactic fermentation Kefir also undergoes alcoholic fermentation caused by the presence of yeast, which yields this sourish, yeasty, sparkling, refreshing end product. Also as mentioned above Yogurt production involves temperatures that destroy the natural enzymes and bacteria of raw milk whereas Kefir temperatures are low enough to preserve these.
Kefir from grains or "Direct Set" culture
In making Kefir you have 2 options to consider for your first batch of Kefir. Traditionally people would save the granular bits that formed at the bottom of the Kefir jar to begin a new batch with fresh milk. Todays option is to use special culture powders that will always guarantee the same degree of activity. Since we are most interested in our customers having consistent results from batch to batch we have chosen to provide this "Direct Set".
- The Kefir grains may produce a more complex product but they need to be re-cultured in a timely manner to keep the Kefir going. This does not always fit into peoples schedules in our modern times
- Our Direct set C45 or C46 Kefir culture can made at any time from the culture packs and yet can be re-cultured if desired for many generations. Our Kefir culture contains the following bacteria and yeast that will produce a wonderful consistent Kefir: l. cremoris, l. plantarum, s. lactis, s. cremoris, s. diacelilactis, saccharomyces kefir.