I am sure you have heard of sourdough bread, but did you know you can make sourdough bread using milk kefir?
When starting out on my homemade sourdough bread journey many years ago, I tried to start my own sourdough starter. It was not a success, with my husband affectionately calling my finished bread a brick.
So I put my sourdough breadmaking on the back burner as I tried my hand with other fermented foods. That was until I was introduced to milk kefir, what a game changer that was. With milk kefir, it opened up a whole new world of smoothies, yogurt, cheese, lacto-fermentation and yes you guessed it sourdough. After several years I am still exploring all the things I can do with these little gems, known as milk kefir grains.
Kefir and sourdough have a lot in common with both of them being a cultured food, which improve the nutritional value of whatever they are
culturing (milk, flour, sweet water). Both containing the yeast, bacteria, and acids.
So how do you make sourdough bread with milk kefir?
There are a couple of ways:
Making a Kefir Sourdough
Starter
- Combine 125g each freshly ground flour and 250mls milk kefir in a 500ml jar.
- Stir well to combine.
- Place a breathable lid such as a towel or coffee filter over the jar and secure it tightly.
- Allow to culture 2 to 3 days at room temperature or until it is bubbling and active.
- Use in your favourite sourdough recipes.
Using Milk Kefir Directly as the
“Sourdough Starter”
Milk kefir can also be a directly as a sourdough starter by simply replacing the liquid in your favourite sourdough bread recipe with kefir.
For the flour, use the amount of flour in the recipe plus the amount of starter
given. So if your recipe calls for 250g of starter, 375g flour, and 250mls of
water, use 625g of flour and 250mls of milk kefir. You may need to adjust the
amount of kefir to get the right consistency to the dough. You can also use Kefir to convert any bread recipe into a sourdough bread.
Here is my recipe
Turn
out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes using the remaining flour until the
dough is smooth and stretchy and of the desired consistently. Place in a lightly oiled and floured bowl and
cover. Allow the dough to double in size, this can take up to 24 hours. Punch down, shape and place in or on your
lightly oiled and floured baking tin/tray. Cover and allow to rise for a second
time until it has doubled in size, this may take another 24 hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 200oC, bake for 20 to 25 mins until the base of the loaf sounds hollow. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully on a cooling rack, covered with a clean tea towel.
- 500g Plain White Flour (start with 400g, adding flour until desired consistency is reached)
- 11/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Honey (or similar sweetener)
- 1tbsp of Olive Oil
- 250mls Milk kefir (freshly fermented and at room temperature)
Pre-heat the oven to 200oC, bake for 20 to 25 mins until the base of the loaf sounds hollow. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully on a cooling rack, covered with a clean tea towel.
Benefits of Using
Kefir as Leavening
Keeping
it simple. If you are already making milk kefir on a
daily basis then you’ve got leavening on hand. Furthermore, if you can use
something you’re already making as a sourdough starter then you don’t have to
create and maintain a separate sourdough culture.
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