Recipe Archives->Drinks->Kvas 01

Kvas (Mint-Flavoured Bread Beer)
To make 6 cups

1 pound day-old black bread or Danish pumpernickel
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 - 115F)
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves or 1 tablespoon crumbled dried mint
2 tablespoons raisins

Preheat the oven to 200F.  Place the bread in the oven for about
1 hour, or until it is thoroughly dry.  With a heavy knife, cut
and chop it coarsely.  Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in an
8-quart casserole and drop in the bread.  Remove from heat, cover
loosely with a kitchen towel, and set it aside for at least 8 hours.
Strain the contents of the casserole through a fine sieve set over
another large pot or bowl, pressing down hard on the soaked bread
with the back of a large spoon before discarding it.

Sprinkle the yeast and 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar over the 1/4 cup
of lukewarm water and stir to dissolve the yeast completely.  Set
aside in a warm, draft-free spot (such as an unlighted oven) for
about 10 minutes, or until the mixture almost doubles in volume.
Stir the yeast mixture, the remaining sugar and the mint into the
strained bread water, cover with a towel, and set aside for at
least 8 hours.

Strain the mixture again through a fine sieve set over a large bowl
or casserole, then prepare to bottle it.  You will need 2 - 3
quart-sized bottles, or a gallon jug.  Pour the liquid through a
funnel 2/3 of the way up the sides of the bottle.  Then divide the
raisins among the bottles and cover the top of each bottle with
plastic wrap, secured with a rubber band.  Place in a cool -- but
not cold -- spot for 3 - 5 days, or until the raisins have risen
to the top and the sediment has sunk to the bottom.  Carefully pour
off the clear amber liquid and re-bottle it in the washed bottles.
Refrigerate until ready to use.  Although Russians drink kvas as
a cold beverage, it may also be used as a cold-soup stock in okroshka
[chilled vegetable soup with meat] or botvinia [green vegetable
soup with fish].

Printable version: kvas01.txt.