Quick and Easy DIY Milk Kefir

Reader Contribution by Laura Poe
Published on April 29, 2020
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Getting started with fermentation can be intimidating for many people, but it can be so easy, especially if you begin your fermenting journey with a simple recipe like milk kefir. Originally hailing from Eastern Europe, kefir is a cultured dairy product similar to yogurt, with a tangy flavor and creamy texture. It has a thinner consistency that yogurt, however, lending it well to smoothies and sauces and even making it drinkable if desired.

Is Kefir the Same as Yogurt?

The main differences between kefir and yogurt, besides their thickness, are the organisms that are used to culture the milk and the process by which they are fermented. Different strains of bacteria and yeasts are employed in these two processes, making them so unique in how they are made, their microbial composition and even their flavor. Most yogurts are made with a starter culture of previously-made yogurt and the cultures are thermophilic, meaning they must be incubated in a warm environment for fermentation. By contrast, kefir is mesophilic, meaning the cultures can ferment milk into kefir at room temperature, without any need for incubation. The heating and incubation process keeps some people from trying their hand at yogurt-making; for those folks, quick and easy milk kefir may be a preferable ferment to try.

The starter cultures for kefir are much different than those used in yogurt, as well. Kefir cannot be made by adding a bit of already-fermented kefir to some milk to begin the culturing process (also known as “backslopping”). Instead, you need what are referred to as kefir “grains,” which are actually a kefir SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). This is more similar to the starter culture used for making kombucha, where the SCOBY is added to the medium, sweetened tea in kombucha’s case, to begin fermentation. This is in contrast to “backslopping” as used in the process of yogurt, or even sourdough bread, making.

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