The resultant dairy kefir made by adding kefir grains to dairy milk is a slightly thickened & sour, lightly effervescent pre & probiotic drink. You can enjoy your kefir drink either as is or use it in a range of ways, such as making cream or cheese. In our recipe we’ll show you how use your freshly prepared dairy kefir to make a saffron, maple and vanilla milk fizz!

Want to take a break from creating dairy kefir for up to a week? Then place grains in a clean jar & top up with fresh dairy milk, replace lid loosely and keep in the fridge for up to a week. When ready to use simply leave out at room temperature covered with a muslin cloth + rubber band. Strain and use as normal.

Want to take a break from creating dairy kefir for up to 4 weeks? Repeat as above for up to 4 weeks. When you would like to use your kefir grains you will likely see a white mould on the surface, similar to a camembert rind. This is completely harmless, simply skim and carry on to strain and re-use the grains by first rinsing the grains with water until there are no milk solids attached & feed with fresh dairy milk to begin the process afresh. If however, there are bright colored nasties, discard the lot.

Want to take a break from creating dairy kefir for 3+ months? First start by rinsing your kefir grains then spread them over a clean cloth to help them dry out. If you have a dehydrator now would be the time to take advantage of that. Once grains are completely dried out store them away in a glass jar. When ready to use your grains once more, simply feed them with fresh dairy milk to start afresh. It can take 2-3 weeks to get your kefir grains to the state they were in prior to dehydration.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sachet of Mad Millie Kefir Culture
• 1L of milk

EQUIPMENT

• 1.5L capacity glass container
• Muslin cloth or Chux cloth
• Rubber band
• Fine mesh strainer + bowl

DAIRY MILK KEFIR – FIRST FERMENT

1. Add 1L of dairy milk to your jar.
2. Add the kefir culture sachet to the jar & mix well.
3. Cover the jar with cloth & seal with rubber band.
4. Leave at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 24 hours.
5. After 24 hours, gently mix the liquid & then strain through a mesh strainer, gently using a wooden spoon to help liquid pass through.
6. Rebottle the kefir & store in refrigerator. Consume with 7-10 days.
7. Start a new batch of kefir by adding a quarter cup of saved grains to 1L of dairy milk & repeat as above.

BONUS RECIPE

SAFFRON, MAPLE & VANILLA KEFIR MILK FIZZ – SECONDARY FERMENT

INGREDIENTS

• 600ml of ripe kefir dairy milk
• A few strands of saffron
• 50ml of boiling water
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean split lengthways

EQUIPMENT

• 750ml flip top bottle
• Funnel

RECIPE

• Combine saffron strands with 50ml of boiling water in a large mixing bowl and set aside until liquid has cooled.
• Once cooled, mix in dairy milk kefir and maple syrup and mix until well combined.
• Place split vanilla bean pod in a clean 750ml swing-top bottle then pour in the kefir mixture using a funnel.
• Leave bottle out at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 24 hours.
• Burp your bottle after 24 hours & place it in the fridge and enjoy for up to 5 days, burping daily to avoid over-carbonation (and a huge mess!).

Saffron, Maple & Vanilla Kefir Milk Fizz recipe from “Ferment: A guide to the ancient art of culturing food”, by Holly Davis. Murdoch Books, 2017.

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