RUSSIAN BREAD DRINK - KVASS ( 5% ALCOHOL)

Kvass is one of the national drinks of Russia and Eastern Europe. It is said that kvass is good for digestion, detox and is most efficient drink for refreshing during a hot summer day. It’s also rich with Vitamin B and it is said that drinking it accelerates the healing process. It is usually made of wheat, rye, rye bread, or barley and buckwheat bread. Kvass is considered as non alcoholic drink but it has a very low alcoholic content (0.7 to 2.2%). Because fermentation is required, it will take you 2-3 days to make kvass. Kvass is sometimes called in English a bread drink. Below is a simple kvass recipe.

It’s a very old drink, ancient in a way, which became particularly popular in the XVI century and was consumed by anyone from country folk to dukes. Nowadays, the kvass that is widely known in Latvia and is made from bread. You can buy it in every supermarket and restaurants serving traditional cuisine sometimes brew their own, unique bread kvass.

Ingredients

2 lt OR 8 cups of water
3 slices of classic black, dark or rye bread
Handful of raisins or 1/4 cup
225 gr of 1 cup of sugar
1/2 Tbsp of dry yeast
1 large plastic soda bottle

Directions

Step 1 : Fill your large and deep pot with all the water and bring to a boil.
Step 2 : Toast the bread slices twice on the darkest toaster setting or fry them on a pan until dark. Darker bread makes darker kvass.
Step 3 : When water starts to boil, remove the pot from heat. Add a handful of raisins and toasted bread to the pot, cover with the lid and let it stay overnight or at least 8 hours.
Step 4 : On the second day remove toasted bread and discard it.
Step 5 : In a medium bowl, mix together sugar and yeast, add them to kvas mixture and stir.
Step 6 : Cover with plastic wrap or lid and leave the mixture on the counter for another 6 hours, stirring every couple hours.
Step 7 : Discard floating raisins by scooping them up with a large spoon.
Step 8 : Using strainer or cheese cloth, pour kvass into bottles, close with a lid and leave them in the fridge overnight. Enjoy cold!

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