Angelina’s Easy Bread Kvas Recipe
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You’re gonna appreciate this; a simple, authentic bread kvas that doesn’t need a concentrate! My hubby’s cousin, Angelina, shared this recipe with us. We’ve made it with rye bread and with black bread and both were so refreshing! New favorite for sure – thanks Angelina!
This kvass lasts up to a week in the fridge (probably longer, but it might start tasting kinda strong). You’ll notice it loses sweetness daily as it stands. I think it’s best after a full day in the fridge.
Bread Kvas is uber popular in Russia and Ukraine. You might compare it to a sweet, non-alcoholic beer. From my research, kvass only has up to 1% alcohol content (still probably not recommended for pregos). The longer it sits in the fridge, the more slightly “alcoholic” it gets, but it’s still considered non-alcoholic.
So if you drink it in the first day or 2, there is probably no alcohol in there yet. From what my readers have said, it’s best to store kvas in plastic soda bottles since they are designed to hold pressurized drinks. I like to release the pressure from my bottles 1-2 times a day because an over-inflated bottle just makes me nervous.
Ingredients for Bread Kvas:
2.5 gallons or 10 qt of water
1 lb or 9 slices of classic black, dark or rye bread
1 handful of raisins
1.8 lb (4 cups) of sugar
1.5 Tbsp of active dry yeast
3 large plastic soda bottles
How to Make Russian Bread Kvas: (best if prepared in the evening)
DAY 1:
1. Fill giant stock pot with 2.5 gallons of water (or divide it into two large pots) and bring to a boil.
2. While waiting, toast the bread slices twice on the darkest toaster setting. Yes. Seriously. Darker bread makes darker kvass. Toast bread either outside or in your garage or your house will get smokey. We learned the hard way :). It should look like the photo below.
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.
DAY 2:
4. Carefully remove toasted bread and discard it.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together 4 cups of sugar and 1.5 Tbsp of yeast, add them to kvas mixture and stir.
6. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and leave the mixture on the counter for another 6 hours, stirring every couple hours.
7. Discard floating raisins by scooping them up with a large spoon. Using strainer or cheese cloth, pour kvass into bottles, loosely cover with lid and refrigerate overnight. The following day once the bottles are completely chilled, you can tighten the lid.
P.S. According to my readers, it’s best to store kvas in plastic soda bottles since they are designed to hold pressurized drinks.
DAY 3: enjoy
DAY 4: enjoy
DAY 5: …..did it really last that long?
How do you make your kvass?
Easy Bread Kvas Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 gallons or 10 qt of water
- 1 lb or 9 slices of classic black, dark or rye bread
- 1 handful of raisins
- 1.8 lb 4 cups of sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons of active dry yeast
- 3 large plastic soda bottles
Instructions
DAY 1: (best if prepared in the evening)
-
Fill giant stock pot with 2.5 gallons of water (or divide it into two large pots) and bring to a boil.
-
While waiting, toast the bread slices twice on the darkest toaster setting. Darker bread makes darker kvass. Toast bread either outside or in your garage or your house will get smokey.
-
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.
DAY 2:
-
Carefully remove toasted bread and discard it.
-
In a medium bowl, mix together 4 cups of sugar and 1.5 Tbsp of yeast, add them to kvas mixture and stir.
-
Cover with plastic wrap or lid and leave the mixture on the counter for another 6 hours, stirring every couple hours.
-
Discard floating raisins by scooping them up with a large spoon. Using strainer or cheese cloth, pour kvass into bottles, loosely cover with lid and refrigerate overnight. The following day once the bottles are completely chilled, you can tighten the lid.
DAY 3: enjoy
Recipe Notes
P.S. According to my readers, it's best to store kvas in plastic soda bottles since they are designed to hold pressurized drinks.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Greetings Natasha, this is an excellent recipe I have made it 3 times and each time it came out perfect!
Cheers to the good life!
I’m so glad to hear that, Gillian! Thanks so much for the review.
I’ve used this recipe 3 times every time its to refresh my memory because after the second time its almost second nature. This is my 3rd time doing it but this time I’m using raspberries to add a slight fruity flavour to it this time.
Thank you for the review, Hailey! I’m so glad you love this recipe.
Hi Natasha! I tried this recipe and it’s my first time tasting kvass! Loved the flavor but I wonder is it supposed to still be bubbly when drinking? Mine tasted good but it didn’t have this beer-like acidic feeling. So I couldn’t know if it should’ve been like that. I hope you answer my question. Thanks for the recipe anyway!
Hi Dogukan, traditionally, kvas is only slightly carbonated, but yes, as you can see in the recipe photos, the kvas will have some bubbles.
So I can’t leave a full review yet, but I’ve been looking for an easy kvas recipe for a bit now – and have just started a half batch of this with some homemade rye sourdough. No raisins in my house, inexplicably, but I found some dried prunes and apples… so that’s the route I am taking. Excitedly looking forward to the results!! Thanks for all your delightful recipes!
You’re welcome, I hope it becomes your new favorite. Please update us on how it goes!
Woah woah woah. Be careful what kind of bottle you use. If you store alcohol in some types of plastic it can make you sick. It may even be deadly!!!!
Food grade plastics, especially those designed for liquids (PET and HDPE) are fine with low percentage alcohols. That’s why you can even buy plastic bottles for homebrew.
NATASH!! I was just telling my 85-year-old mom that I was making kombucha and ginger beer. We are Mennonites, coming through Russia, and my mom informed me my grandma used to make this drink. She knew the name but didn’t know the spelling. Well, who knew one of my favourite and most trusted chefs would have the recipe on her site once we figure the spelling out. THANK YOU! I now have oxheart tomatoes from one grandma, yellow tomatoes from another and a drink from my mother’s childhood. Now if I could only get my grandpa’s recipe for a smoked farmer sausage, I would be in heaven.
I’m so glad to hear that! I love that this recipe brought back memories!
And thanks for opening up new doors to new recipes and flavours Natasha. (I had to leave another comment to let you know I DO know how to spell your name. I was just a little excited that I found this recipe and forgot to spellcheck)!!
Thank you, Ralph!
If I make this and leave it to ferment for 3 days and then put in a fridge how much sugar is in the actual drink? I don’t really want to be drinking water and sugar and I don’t know how to test for the sugar.
Hi Jez, I don’t have a way to calculate how much sugar is left after the yeast has eaten up a fair amount of it. I do know that it is less and less sweet as it stands because the yeast continues to work on the sugar.
I have not tried this recipe yet, but I followed a similar recipe printed on a jar of a concentrated wort (grain malt extract) sold in Russia for making kvass at home. It seems that the sugar content of the final product depends on the yeast to sugar ratio, and the amount of time you let it brew. With a bit more yeast, I ended up with a product that was slightly bitter, a bit like beer — quite different from store-bought bottled kvass, but still good in its own way. When following the prescribed ratio of the ingredients, the end product is only slightly sweet, which means that most of the sugar has been “eaten” by the yeast, partly simply “burned” (converted to CO2 and H20), partly converted into acetic acid (vinegar) and alcohol, which give the drink a bit of a sour and bitter flavor. So try it out, and taste the product… you can vary the ingredient ratio to bring it to the desired sweetness level.
This looks amazing! I was planning on making it but maybe thirding the recipe, I have a tiny fridge and I’m only one person haha. Would you recommend simply taking the measurements down by 2/3, or is there a better way you would recommend for a single batch?
Hi Cora, you could scale down everything proportionally and make a smaller batch. That should work fine.
I cut the recipe in half but altered some ratios to reach what I now make constantly. 5 quarts of water, 1 lb of bread, 1/4 cup craisins or dried cherries (raisins always gave it an offputting aroma), 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp yeast, and a slice of lemon zest. I put it into 2 half gallon mason jars with tight-fitting lids but burp them at least twice a day. It’s my favorite drink year round!
Hey! This is a nice and easy recipe, much less complicated than the one I inherited from my babushka (she was using sourdough and birch sap and whatnot… she even suggested dandelion flowers!) I just feel like making a batch of kvas right now. 🙂
Although personally, I’d say that your bread may be a bit *too* black in places (most notably, the third slice in the left row looks particularly cancer-inducing). Toasters tends to do that on high setting. What I do to avoid it is cut the slices into cubes and stick them in the oven at about 300-350F, aiming for evenly golden-brown color with no carbon spots. As a side benefit, cubes = more of toasted surface, and thus more tasty bready caramelized goodness to release into the liquid.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
why is there so much sugar called for in the recipe?
I deviated from the recipe, and went for hard kvas. :).
Hi John, the yeast eats up most of the sugar, especially as it sits for a longer period of time so it can turn into a “hard kvass” if you let it sit longer.
Would pumpernickel bread work instead of the dark rye? And when adding sugar and yeast, should the water be warm? Thank you
Hi Kyle, we recommend making it as listed in the recipe first before making any substitutions. A few of our readers mentioned pumpernickel worked well.
Thanks for the recipe. It doesn’t mention that the sugar should be dissolved before adding to the pot. Is that correct?
Hi Jp, that is correct.
question: dissolved in water before adding to pot? thank you!
Hi Deb, it isn’t necessary to dissolve separately. I just add it to the pot.
I look forward to making this for Thanksgiving this year. My only question is… The needed materials includes “3 large soda bottles.” But, what is the best size for soda bottles? I can easily get either 2 liters or maybe 3 liters. Which would be the ideal size?
Hi Stephen, The bottles in the picture are 2.84L each, so it makes about 8 1/2 Liters of Kvass. Hope that helps.
Will glass bottles work just as well as plastic?
Hi Stephen, most of my readers recommending plastic due to it being able to withstand pressure better than glass. I have tried both and following the instructions have never had anything burst, thankfully! 🙂
Great recipe!!!
Thank you!!!!
We waited 1.5 days instead of 6 hrs.
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi. Me and two of my friends used this recipe to make kvass at home. It turned out awesome. I’d drunk it in some foreign countries a few years ago. And I always wanted to make some at home, because markets don’t provide it here in Iran. Your recipe led us to a perfectly easy amazing kvass experience again. My friends loved it. So did I. And we have you to thank for that.
You’re so welcome, Armin. I’m so glad you and your friends enjoyed this recipe!
Delicious! I let it stand for about a day and a half at room temp instead of 6 hours. Really good! Instead of popping the lid every couple hours, I just rubber banded a balloon over the bottle necks and that worked fine to deal with the pressure
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Natasha, can cranberries be used instead of raisins? thanks!
Hi Victoria, I bet that could work! If you happen to experiment, please let me know how you like that.
I tried both cranberries and rhubarb,both turned out amazing.Just added an extra cup of sugar or honey,etc.Tart fruit contains less sugar(to feed the yeast).As for explosions,use big plastic bottles with caps.Fill them about 3/4 full,squeeze till the liquid reaches the top,then cap quickly.That allows room for expansion,just like untying your sweatpants before a sushi buffet.I haven’t noticed any discernible difference between glass and plastic,but maybe that’s just me.
So wonderful to hear that. Thanks for sharing that with us, Kevin!
First I would like to say that this recipe is great, and I have made my second batch of this recipe today. Thank you for posting it. I have been using white wine yeast (Lalvin D-47) which I was able to buy in bulk from amazon for fairly cheap. The flavor has been fantastic with some fruitiness coming from the yeast, but they tend to over ferment the sugars and after some time the kvas is quite potent. Still pleasant, but not as enjoyable as fresh. I may end up making a variation of this for a homebrew beer (the tangy rye is a great flavor) I expect to be using this recipe for years to come, or some variation of it every time I have stale bread or excess fruit. Today I used stale sourdough bread, since everyone is making sourdough during the pandemic, myself included. Once again, thank you for posting this recipe.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Jake. This is really useful information and I’m also glad you enjoyed it!
Can you use a white bread Instead of the rye?
Hi Colin, for color and flavor, black bread is best if you can get it or rye bread.
After you put the drink in the refrigerator, the yeast will stop producing alcohol (or at least, Will produce much less), because the temperature is too low. If you want more alcohol in your kvass store it longer than 6 hours in a warm place. (Maybe 1-3 days) the yeast will produce alcohol out of sugar until all the sugar is gone or the alcohol concentration is too high for the yeast and it dies. Open the bottle every few hours just too let carbon dioxide out so your kvass doesn’t turn into bombs.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
As a home brewer I second Yeast Lover’s comment. Although cold will not stop fermentation, it will indeed slow it. If you want to ferment in the fridge, use a lager beer yeast it will come out smoother and might be a good experiment. You can also grab an airlock from your home brew store for less than $5. I’ve seen people using balloons as well which gives a cavity for the pressure to expand into and keep low.
If you wanna carb the thing with accuracy wait until this portion ferments out, then add a bit more sugar and tighten the cap. This is a good time to cleanup the sediment and transfer to another jug. We use 4-5 Oz of corn sugar (or 2/3 cup of white sugar) to prime a 5 Gal batch so just do the math on your volumes.
Anyways, looking forward to trying this thanks!
Use breathers and you won’t have that problem with exploding beverages. Brewing suppliers are the best to look into, but in a pinch you can use balloons. Simply place balloons on the bottle necks, and cinch those down with strong rubber bands, (new ones only as they wear out). Once the balloons aren’t filling quite so much they will be ready. It is sort of like making beer, but without the hops. If you want a little more carbonation add a wee bit sugar, or corn sugar. Or, you can place a few extra raisins in the bottles, before placing the breathers on the bottles. If you place the bottles in the fridge before you have allowed the yeast to totally consume the sugars you are basically enjoying a process called cold brewing. Some call it lagering. This process actually helps it to last a little longer in storage, albeit without hops you won’t have a product that lasts as long in storage. But, Kvas is made to be drank and used in cooking quickly. I have basically given you part of the process for turning wort into beer.
DO NOT TOAST BREAD 3 TIMES. It is hard to tell if your bread was toasted if you had bought black bread. I made That mistake and luckily the fire department did not burst through my door. Apparently the bread was literally on fire. And i live in an apartment, so you can imagine how smokey my place was.
Oh my goodness that is a wild story! Yikes!! We only toasted twice as in the instructions, but it’s great to keep in mind every toaster is a little different so definitely stop toasting when it looks like the bread in the photo and before it catches fire! That’s a great cautionary tale. Thanks for sharing! I hope you were able to air things out alright.
How does it Carbonate?
Hi, Kvas ferments from the yeast which creates the carbonation.
Another recipe called for brewer’s yeast instead of active dry yeast. What is your opinion on this?
Hi Skim, I am honestly not familiar with brewers yeast so I can’t speak to that.
Brewers yeast would be desirable. They tend to produce more alcohol and less CO2. They also have a better flavor profile in beverages than bread yeast.
One should keep in mind that Kvas is unique drink and really not a beer. The original recipe and taste profile is based on bread yeast as well as some wild lacto bacteria. As in any brewing one can change yeast type but with it the intended taste will change. Only addition to the Angelina’s recepy could be addition of some sour note to compensate for missing wild bacteria impact. Typically, slices of lemon are added and removed with the bread for that purpose.
Hello!
I was just wondering how sanitized the jars holding the fermenting kvas should be? (I’m afraid some bad bacteria would start growing after the first day if the bowls weren’t expertly cleaned extremely well.) Would just a normal, clean jar be fine– or should I do a “master-cleaning-job” on it? Thank you!
Hi Rebekah, a master cleaning job is always best. I steam sterilize, but the dishwasher would work also. It should like you are a pro at the master cleaning job which is great!
Thank you for posting such an easy to follow recipe. I especially appreciate the tip to toast the bread in the garage or outside because WOW that’s a lot of smell and heat and I don’t want the smoke detectors to go off. I’m waiting for my bread to double toast now— can’t wait to drink this !!
You’re so welcome! I hope you love it!
Hello! Can I use Maramite yeast extract in place of dry active yeast? Maramite was the only thing available in the store and the Russian Market is over an hour away. I’m surprising my Ukrainian hubby with this since his mom always made it!
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
No, you will need live yeast to ferment the beverage. Marmite comes from yeast, but is very dead
You may just ignore the yeast part of the recipe if you use classic rye bread (or any other bread beaked from yeast dough), it will take longer to fermentize (1-2 days instead of 8+6 hours) since there are not that much yeast still “alive” in the beaked bread, but the result will still be the same. But you should not remove the bread from the pot in that case till the moment you’re ready to serve the drink into bottles.
We are currently hosting the son of missionaries from Ukraine for his senior year of high school (dad is American, mom is Ukrainian). I stumbled across your page while looking for a Kvass recipe after he and I got into a discussion about it.
His mother said this recipe sounds about like what she does, so we are hoping it tastes like what he knows from home.
The Kvass is currently sitting on my counter while it ferments. We are hoping it finishes in time to share a little bit of Ukraine with the rest of my family for Thanksgiving.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I hope its ready in time also! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha,
The recipe is turning out great.
I’ve needed to let the Kvas culture a little longer but it comes out perfectly.
The bottles are highly carbonated and have a very sophisticated flavor.
I’m also using well water as I’ve been told it’s better for fermenting; since tap water contains chlorine and iodine, both of which are supposed to inhibit fermentation.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Hi. Is there any way to reduce the yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottles? Would re-filtering help?
Most people who try my kvass for the first time always wonder if it is safe to have it due to the sedimentation at the bottom. Once they try it they love it.
Filtering it should help!
The yeast sediment is a highly nutritious thing, can upset some peoples stomach, but it is loaded with various micro nutrients and vitamin B too. People pay a premium for living brews like that.
Follow my suggestion above of letting it ferment out fully with an airlock, and then adding the priming sugar to carbonate it. You can use this chance to cleanup the bottle and remove the sediment. You will still get sediment after it carbonates but it will be far less of a mess.
Can i use a slow cooker as it is the bigest pot like thing i have?
Hi Chris, that should work fine in a larger sized slowcooker.
Hi Natasha, I’m going to make my first Kvass, with pumpernikel bread and raisin. I’m going to modify the process, once I’m done and if it turns good, I’ll be posting the recipe and procedure, maybe you can try as well.
I’d love to! Thanks David!
Hi there, the Kvass is bottled, as it’s winter while I’m doing this, I did allow to ferment completely and then re-ferment in bottle for carbonation so I know it’s gonna be quite dry in the end. I made it to be my Christmas Kvass wine so other than raisin, I added dried Jujube, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, plus, I reduce the sugar to 300g and added 100g honey. In two weeks from now I’ll have the response! My yield was 8 x 33 cl
Hi Natasha, I am researching a 3500 year old alcoholic drink, found in a burial of a young woman in Denmark. The ingredients sort of (?) resemble a Kvass, in that it has rye, bog myrtle and yarrow, honey, birch syrup and cranberries and lingonberries.
I wonder if your family or friends have come across a Kvass with similar ingredients? Just a shot in the dark, as I am not finding anything online.
Cheers, David
Hi David, I honestly have never heard of that – I wish I could be more help!
You’re are talking about a “Kvas Gruit”. Google up “Gruit Beer” and you should find a ton more info. 🙂
3500 years old? Then it has nothing to do with bread like we know it. What you are talking about seems more like some kind of gruit-beer. But the cultural evolution is the same, since breadmaking started from exenstive interest in brewing. My two cents…
Hi, i made mine, it is now resting in the fridge, but it has a strong yeasty smell… will that go away in these 8 hours or did i do something wrong?
Hi Vincenzo, I haven’t really noticed a strong smell of yeast and it is difficult to say without being there. If the recipe was followed and the correct yeast used, you should be ok 🙂
Hi I made your recipe and it was delicious. I have a question is the purpose of the bread purely for colour. If so can burnt sugar liquid that’s Browning be used in instead.
Hi, it gives color and flavor to the kvas 🙂 I haven’t tried with burnt sugar instead so I can’t make that recommendation.
Originally the main reason of using bread was to provide yeast since it wasn’t that easy to get in form of dryed powder in your regular East Slavic household. But there always was rye bread at hand to help you with that.
Now, when you have yeast powder available on every corner, the meaning of bread it mainly to provide the “classic” flavour to the beverage. But you can also use it as a yeast provider in this recipe, it will just take longer to fermentize
How would we go about doing a second ferment to add carbonation? Is it possible with kvass?
Hi Catherine, I haven’t experimented and I’m not sure if it is possible. Maybe someone else can share some insights into that? The flavor gets stronger and less sweet with letting it sit longer but it doesn’t seem to be a whole lot more carbonated.
My kvas turned out rather dark, is that a problem?
Hi Owen, As far as the color goes, darker bread will make darker kvass. The darker the better to achieve more color and flavor
Ehm, you don’t need “a second” ferment, the fermentation never really stops (unless you boil your kvas and kill all the yeast in it, which you shouldn’t do). If you had added sugar, it should slowly get carbonated just by resting in your fridge.
This makes a lot but only lasts a week- can you halve the recipe?
I don’t see why not!
Hi! So day one was very sweet, but by day three it was perfect! For some reason, it didn’t pair well with salty fish (taranka).
I used pumpernikel bread because it seemed to be a cross between traditional rye and Russian black bread. Do you happen to have a recipe for Russian black bread? I feel like making my life more difficult.
Hi Yaffi, I don’t have a recipe posted yet for black bread but if I come up with something great, I will let you know!
Yes! Please do 🙂
I use airlocks meant for fermenting pickles or wine on my jars, that way the gasses vent safely and you do not have to worry about bacteria introduction from opening the bottles or jars daily to vent gasses.
I am glad to see this coming back, so tired of my culture being pushed aside in favor of cultures whose only spices are hot ones
Thank you for the great review Zhinka!
Hi Natasha. I have a question please. I note that active dry yeast is used in this Bread Kvas recipe and the drink is not cooked before consumption. Is it safe or good to consume raw yeast though it has gone thru fermentation? I have read that yeast can grow in human body, that is why I am concerned before trying this.
Thank you
Hi, I haven’t heard of that being and problem and it has been made in Eastern Europe for hundreds of years and is still made today all over Eastern Europe so I assume it’s safe 🙂
Hi! I’m a registered dietitian. Yeast can grow in your body, but not by eating it raw. A yeast overgrowth in he body is related more to lifestyle factors and overall nutrition rather than the consumption of raw yeast.
Howdy! I just had a question; I’m making a batch of Kvass myself, and I’ve seen you mention that if you let it sit longer, more sugar is consumed producing a less sweet kvass. I definitely prefer my drinks to be not very sweet so I’d like to leave it for longer.
Just how long would it be safe to leave the kvass fermenting on the counter in that bowl? I’ve seen a day mentioned as making an enormous difference; have you ever experimented with leaving it out for longer than that?
Thanks
Hi John, we really haven’t experimented leaving it longer since we enjoy it as is, but I would guess that an extra day would be safe.
If anyone else has experimented, please let us know! 🙂
My father in law makes it that way. He’s 84 and healthy but forgetting his English, so I’m learning from Natasha.
Thank you for sharing this with us Bruce!
I’m Vietnamese. Thanks for your recipe.
I’m so happy you discovered our blog, Bui. Welcome! 🙂
what does it taste like
It tastes similar to kombucha drink, just a bit sweeter.
Not sure if using plastic bottle for storing fermented drink is best idea… Mason jar probably better alternative. But do whatever you like. Stay cheeki breeki
Hi Mikael, most of my readers recommending plastic due to it being able to withstand pressure better than glass since glass. I have tried both and following the instructions have never had anything burst, thankfully! 🙂
Natasha I tried kvass in a restaurant and loved it. I normally was not raised drinking alchol, and really do not like it (raises my blood pressure among other reasons). However I LOVED kvass. It is far better than other sugar filled non alcoholic options.
One question I have about your recipe is whether I can HALVE the sugar amount? Your recipe comes to about 20g/8oz of kvass. I personally think that is too much as the store bought kvass is very sweet at 17g. Then again it doesn’t taste nearly as carbonated or acidic as the homemade ones I’ve had in restaurants.
How much of the sugar is typically used in the fermenting process by yeast, would you know that?
Thank you!
Hi Muhammed, I don’t know the science behind your question – sorry I can’t be more help with that! The longer you let this kvass sit, the less sweet it will be, even a day can make a notable difference. It is less sweet because the yeast continues to work and consume the sugars in the kvass. I haven’t tried cutting the sugar in half so I’m not sure if it would turn out quite the same.
As someone who brews and distills, I do know the science. The carbonation and alcohol come from the yeast fermenting the sugars, including the sugars from the raisins and bread. This yeast will tolerate about 4% alcohol, so as it gets less sweet it develops more alcohol. The fridge will slow fermentation dramatically so it should keep for a few days no problem. You can easily add less sugar if you want less sweet. And DO NOT USE AIR TIGHT GLASS! The pressure can possibly explode it. The suggestion to relieve pressure every so,often is a good one. Anyway, great recipe for a wonderfully refreshing traditional drink.
Hello,
Nice recipe! As a diabetic, would it be possible to switch sugar with sweetener? 🙂
Hi Christopher, I really haven’t tried that substitution so I don’t know how it would affect the overall fermentation process.
Maybe someone else has experimented making it sugar free? I would love to hear your feedback and thanks in advance!
No, you need sugar to ferment. Sweetener is non-fermentable.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I haven’t made Kvas, and I am by no means an expert, but I know from other fermentation projects that the sugar is needed because it’s food for the yeast bacteria. If you switch out the sugar for something other than fruit (which contains sugar), you will starve the yeast and the fermentation will not happen. The longer you let a fermentation sit, the less sugar remains as the yeast eats it all up and converts it to CO2 and alcohol. I do not know what this means for someone who is diabetic, however, because I don’t know the rate in which the sugar is eaten.
Probably not. It would be like making beer with sweetener. For fermentation to occur, you need sugar to be consumed by the yeast/bacteria present in the liquid to create the finished product and carbonate it (alcohol is yeast/bacteria waste). You could cut the sugar, which would mean less fermentation, less alcohol, and less carbonation, but possibly just result in boiled raisin and bread water instead of kvass. Assuming it consumes all the sugar, and is unpalatable for you, you could possibly add some sort of sweetener after it’s finished, either in your glass or in the bottle, but powdered/crystal substances can really excite carbonated beverages, so be careful you don’t make a mess.
I am a diabetic too, and have tried experimenting with non- sugar sweetener. Unfortunately, you can not have fermentation with out sugar, but that does not mean you have to use white sugar, or as much sugar as the recipe calls for.
You can usually reduce the amount by about 1/4 without affecting the fermentation, at least in the Non-to-Low alcohol brewing, but it will affect the sweetness.
Honey and Agave are two healthier alternatives to white sugar. While they remain just as sugary as white sugar, they are a more complex sugar that affects your body a lot differently than sugar.
Also sweetening with 100% fruit juice works, but nothing with preservatives, they can affect the fermentation process negatively.
I have heard, but been unable to experiment with it yet, but I was told if you use pure stevia extract, you can ferment with it, again nothing with preservatives or any other fillers.
Agave is actually 90% fructose while table sugar is 50%. As agave nectar is digested, that load puts pressure on the liver. If you’re avoiding white sugar, it’s best to stick with maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar.
no. you need sugars to ferment. yeast can only feed off of sugar, such as honey, raw sugar, or white sugar.
So I am a very religious person and have actually never had anything alcoholic and wish to adhere to said beliefs, so I guess I was wondering if this stuff has any real alcoholic content? I have read its very low at the most. I recently found out my Grandfather was Slavic, and sadly I never got to meet him, and thus I’m trying to explore the culture, and figure that the food may be a good place to start.
Allen, the production process is similar to beer making, kvas has very low alcohol content (0.05 – 1.44%) and it is considered a non-alcoholic drink. The main ingredient of kvas is rye bread, and the drink can contain unfiltered yeast in it. I hope this helps.
Oy blyat slav food best, my mama is eastern european and her mama makes the BEST food. If you want a video tutorial, I suggest you watch this video on how to make kvass like a true slav https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1UTJKBMvgc
I see you know of the Slav King…. Stay cheeki breeki
Best video. True Slav kvas made by the Slav king.
well allen, if you leave it for under three days, there is just under 1% abv. i like to leave mine for longer, but even then the yeast will kill itself off before it reaches 4%. so, under three days you should be totally fine. its very hard to get drunk off of kvass, and you can buy it in stores even if you are underage.
If you’re Muslim or some other religion that forbids alcohol,I’ve recently read kvas has no more alcohol than soy sauce.Just don’t let it ferment any longer than Natasha says.
This looks delicious! It seems like the bread itself would be a little bitter after toasting it, but any thoughts on ways to reuse it instead of just discarding?
Hi K., The final kvas isn’t bitter, no worries :). I’ve never re-used it for anything. I’m not sure it would be useful for anything else after soaking.
Hi. I’m a gopnik wannabe and interested in trying this recipe. Can I use instant yeast and regular white bread or whole grain bread?
Hi Yudhi, I have always made this with regular yeast so I’m not sure if it would be as effective in the fermenting process to use instant yeast. Also, for color and flavor, black bread is best if you can get it or rye bread.
Dear Natasha,
I got stuck on the bread part so I guess I’ll distract myself with the kompot & chebureki recipe which was successful. Disappeared off the table to soon to take pics, though. But I’ll post it next time. Спасибо, Наташа 😊
I’m so glad you loved those recipes! 🙂
Instant yeast works just fine. Use 25% less.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, John. Now, about the bread. Maybe you also can help me with it. From where I come from, black bread or rye bread virtually doesn’t exist. Can I use regular white bread or whole wheat bread?
If you can not get those specific types, the blackest bread available to you will work the best. Wonderful recipe by the way, although it should be noted that the drink might be alcoholic by U.S. standards for health and legal safety.
Whole wheat bread,browned buckwheat or even the Japanese soba noodles(browned) work very well.
you can, but it taste different
Followed exactly as per recipe here, somehow, I don’t get it fermented enough to get the fuzziness. Should you leave it fermented for longer at warm place before straining? Thanks.
Hi Jacky, if everything was done per the recipe, they won’t seem fizzy until they are chilled and refrigerated.
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for getting back to me, I have followed the recipe and refrigerated it for a day, there is basically no gas in it at all. Should I leave it longer? Thanks.
Jacky
Hi Jacky, I think it’s worth a try, but did you possibly use a different kind of yeast? Or possibly cut out the sugar or change anything in the recipe? Also, did you let the mixture cook 8 hours before adding the yeast? Adding yeast to a hot pot will deactivate it. Was your yeast fresh and not expired? I hope we can figure out what caused it to go flat.
When you first add the bread (Day 1, step 2) and leave it overnight, does it need to be left on the heat?
Hi Dzhon, The answer is in step 3: “When water starts to boil, remove the pot from heat.” 🙂
Took a crack at it, tastes just like what my friend’s Polish mom used to give us. Never did get the recipe from her, but this stuff is identitcal.
I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your great review!
Thanks for this amazing recipe! Do you know if this can this be made with the dense black rye bread that you find in Eastern European supermarkets?
Hi Max, yes that should work well. 🙂
Is this healthy/unhealthy? I feel slightly guilty because I had quite a bit.
Hi E, it’s kind of like drinking homemade soda – you probably don’t want to go overboard since it still has sugar in it, but the ingredients ARE natural ingredients without the junk in regular sodas so don’t feel too guilty!
RD here! The sugar level strongly depends on which day. The earlier day or two has a higher sugar content, resulting in a possible spike and crash. After day 3, the sugar has been consumed by the yeast and is not a notable part of the recipe any longer. To determine if something is “healthy”, one would really have to know your personal history and nutritional needs, but in general, this is a natural beverage and should not contribute to ill health. If you’re comparing it to bottled soda, even bottled prepared kvass, this is a far superior drink where health is concerned.
6 hours sounds like a very short time for the fermentation. I tasted it after 9 hours and it was still too sweet.
Hi Mike, it does get stronger in flavor and less sweet as it stands.
Letting kvass sit for longer is the only way to make it have higher alcohol percentage? Or are there more tricks to it?
I’m really not sure, as this is not intended to be an alcoholic drink.
more sugar, leave for longer.
Hi all,
Have just followed the procedure.
will update tomorrow the status of my kvass.
Thanks.
My pleasure! Please do!
I made a batch 12/16. I kept the sediment and just used that today to make another batch. Hopefully it will work. The bottles were very tense and a lot of gas escaped when I opened them today and they fizzed like crazy. Not sure how long I should let it sit. Btw there was some kvass still there that I tasted and it was just less sweet.
Thank you for sharing that with us. As long as the bottles made to withstand the pressure, kvass should be fine. We loosely cover it with lid and refrigerate overnight after first pouring into bottles. The following day once the bottles are completely chilled, you can tighten the lid.
I didn’t get the fizz when I opened the bottles like before when I used dry yeast. The bottles r tense. Would it take longer to ferment from the previous sediment? Or add some yeast?
I’m not sure what you mean – are you re-using the yeast from an older bottle? I’m not sure that would be effective anymore. I have always started a completely new batch when the first one ended.
Yes reusing. Somewhere I read doing that like with a sourdough starter for kvass..
I’d love to know if anyone has done so.
Maybe I can still add the yeast if I take it out of the fridge.
Does it have to be black rye bread? Could I use marble rye for instance? Having a hard time finding the black rye in my local stores.
Hi Aaron, the darker the better to achieve more color and flavor but if marbled rye is the only thing you could find, I think it would work fine. I haven’t tested it with marbled but I’m assuming it would work.
I’ve never had Kvass before, but this looks simple enough that I might want to try it.
But 4 cups of white sugar in 2.5 gallon batch sounds like a lot. Based on the calculations, the added sugar alone would yield 7.4% abv beverage when completely done fermenting. I’m guessing it’s okay to cut the sugar a bit?
Also, I’ve read elsewhere that Kivass tastes slightly tart/sour (due to Lactobacillus fermentation). Are they usually that way or is it optional?
Hi Hector, I think it would be ok to cut the sugar if you wanted it less sweet but the longer the kvas stands, the stronger it gets in flavor and the sweetness goes away. I wouldn’t say it tastes tart or sour, but it does get stronger in flavor as it ferments.
Some other versions prepared slightly differently have a slightly sour taste. This version does not taste like that, so it is perhaps not as old-fashioned. I wouldn’t cut any sugar, kvass cannot reach any more than 2% alcohol, at very maximum. I don’t know the details, but kvass is not made the same way as beer and so cannot be as alcoholic.
I would cut back on the sugar unless you own a dental practice. On the other hand every recipe I see on the web has too much sugar for my taste, no matter if it is for kvas, cookies, pies or jams. I guess most people like really sweet things.
kvass should be slightly sour, and taste a bit like light beer
This sounds terrific! 10 quarts though maybe way too much for my family, at least before we know we love the stuff! Is it possible to halve or third the recipe? Will it still turn out? Thank you!
Oops! Just saw your reply to this from a while back! Thank you! 🙂
No problem! 🙂 Enjoy!!
I failed :(. Kvas is flat. Seemed the yeast had no effect. Followed all steps as printed. Not sure what happened.
Hi David, Is it possible your yeast was old? It’s best to store yeast in an airtight, dark container in the refrigerator. Once a yeast packet is opened, if it sits on the shelf at room temp for too long, it won’t be as effective. Also, just to be sure – did you make sure to add the yeast mixture to the cooled/room temp mixture and not into hot liquid – overheating yeast will deactivate it. I hope that helps to troubleshoot what might have went wrong.
Thank you… The yeast is dated Sept. 2018 and it was added after about 14-15 hours of room temp (maybe too cold in house? about 60…). I have never fermented anything (on purpose :). My nephew is skilled and practiced and is coaching me. We will figure something out.
It might possibly be the temperature of the room – our room temp is closer to 70˚F. Also, did you use active dry yeast and not instant yeast?
Used active dry. Update! Last night I removed the kvas bottles from fridge, shook them and left them out over night. Lots of fix this morning! Good!
Oh that’s so great to hear!! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂
I made kvas two times, but when I pour the kvas into the bottle the yeast settles down at the bottom of the bottle and i can’t get rid of that with the cloth. How can I purify the kvas so it will not contain any yeast? I tried it with paper towel but i still had some yeast at the bottom.
Hi, with kvas, you will always have some sediment at the bottom of the bottle. That’s normal when it’s homemade and I’m not sure of anything besides multiple layers of cheese cloth over a very fine meshed sieve.
Not sure if you want to just get rid of yeast or you want crystal clear drink, but anyhow.
I’d try the homebrewing methods, there are number of ways to clarify the product.
Usually, if you leave it alone long enough, things settle down enough to be clear. Then you siphon off the clear part. But that takes too long.
One alternative is using gelatin as fining agent. You can google the method on homebrewing forums. Anyhow, it works by dissolving some unflavoured gelatin in water (don’t use jell-O and dissolve it well), then adding that to your fermented beverage. You mix that well again, so that the gelatin is homogeneously mixed with the beverage. This you stick it in the fridge and let it settle down. Gelatin will grab onto particles that makes the drink opaque (including yeast) and sink to the bottom. Then you siphon off (or very carefully pour) the clear liquid to a new container. Caution though, depending on what gelatin also removes, it could affect flavour in theory.
Now, these clarified drinks will still likely contain trace amounts of yeast; so if the fermentation restarts, yeast will multiply again. Thus, you have to fine it once it is done completely (exhausted of sugar or add preservatives that stun microbes for good).
However, sounds like Kvass requires bottle conditioning (i.e. fermentation in the bottle) for flavour and for the fizz. In that case, if you want it without yeast, you’d have enjoy the finished Kvass that’s mostly flat (without carbonation), unless you have CO2 carbonation equipment ready at home.
Thank you so much for sharing your insights!!
I brew beer and my thoughts exactly
Can the bottled kvass do well as aged kvass if it’s in a plastic or glass bottle? How long will it keep? I know things improve with age so I’m wondering. I don’t want a mess on my hands if something explodes. Thanks for the blog. Good info.
Hi Dianne, we’ve used both and never had any explosions :), but plastic is probably a little safer if you’re planning to store it longer. Keep in mind it gets pretty strong and less sweet the longer you let it sit. Once the kvas is completely chilled in the refrigerator you can tighten the lid.
Hi! Great recipe! I tried it last night and found that my bread absorbed most of my water… and there was no ‘lifting’ it out as it was basically mush.
Any thoughts?
Hi Scott, did you toast the bread until it was really dark as shown in the photos? Also, did you use the same proportions? Per the recipe, there should be substantially more liquid than bread.
Hi! Thanks for the quick response. I did toast the bread and it was pretty dark and toasted. I also used 10 qts of water.
Maybe my bread was too fresh? It is a pretty moist black bread to begin with… I’m going to try a denser rye next time..
Scott – How many loaves of bread are you using? I have made kvas many times with different breads – the only thing they had in common was that I made sure the breads had no preservatives. But I can’t imagine 10qts of water being soaked up to form a mush.
Actually you might be on to something, maybe you can invent a kvas infused cake, sort of like a rum cake, that would be interesting.
I make this all of the time, but I did not know it was kvass!! I have heard of kvas by name but not very very familiar. It was mine own recipe: raisins, bread, yeast, but I added sugar and sometimes ginger, sometimes another fruit if handy, but mostly raisins. My mother is the BEST COOK on this planet, and I learned many recipes from her, but this recipe I made up myself. I gave some bottles to my neighbor, he is Romanian and he said it was very very good!
That’s great Kristin! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hello! First of all thank you very much for this wonderful recipe. I was just wondering if Kvass ever goes bad or will it just turn into alcohol?
Thank you!
Andrew, I haven’t maxed out the life of it but it first turns in to alcohol and becomes too strong to drink.
Follow up to previous comment: Both Sergey and I are totally flabbergasted by the delicious taste of this Kvass! Sergeys’ Doctor at the hospital is very interested so I will be giving him a bottle at the next visit. I also made Beet Kvass and Apple Kvass. All winners according to Sergey, the Russian expert! Ha! Ha! Bolshoi Spasiba!! Nicole & Sergey
That’s so awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I am going to try this tonight! I just moved back home in New Brunswick after retiring from the Federal Government in Ottawa. My Russian friend of 18 years is really going to appreciate this Kvass and so will I. There are no Russian stores here in Moncton, NB so this is the solution! At least we are beside the ocean, 15 minutes drive to get fish! Bolshoi Spasiba and God Bless You Both! I will let you know the results! Hugs, Nicole & Sergey
I hope you love it!! That’s so awesome to be just 15 minutes from the ocean. Sounds amazing!!
Hi! I wanna try this recipe but i dont really like raisins. I wonder i f the drunk itself tastes like it or not and if you suggest any replacements.
I have heard of lemony kvass but i dont know, thank you and congratulations for the great post, very detailed and well explained.
Rui, you might try adding 1 lemon, sliced in rings with out seeds. Thank you for the nice comment 😀.
Someone asked about whether raisins were necessary. I just made some with lemon, cranberry and chopped up fresh ginger. As I have said before, it is a very robust recipe, hard to go wrong. Leave the raisins out, or add a different fruit. Doesn’t matter. I used bottles that were formerly containers for sparkling water, both glass and plastic. Even in the refrigerator the fermenting goes on, so I got nervous and after three days let some of the gas out. Good idea to hold the bottle over a sink when doing this!
I use half the sugar called for, make sure my water doesn’t have chlorine in it (bottled spring water) and make sure the bread doesn’t have preservatives. Not sure if it matters, but the results are reliable and it tastes great.
I do it like this ( note that i’m not Russian, but the owner/chef of local Russian restaurant gave me recipe. I’m from Slovakia and this is the second summer season i’ll be doing kvass) :
For about 10 L of Kvass you will need:
10L of water ( obviously)
600-700 g of sugar (white sugar is fine, if you have access to malt, use it )
At least 500 g of dark bread
5-7 g of yeast (in the cube or powder, does not matter. I use the one in cubes)
few raisins
Part 1:
Bring up the water to a boiling point or near boiling point and let it cool. Meantime prepare the bread, just slice it and bake in in the oven (on the electric grill function if you have it). It is best if you sliced it a day before and let it dry a little so it “gets” grilled a bit easier. Don’t be afraid to burn it a little ( for the color and taste).
Prepare your yeast ( in a small dose of sugary water, just mix the yeast with a shot of water with a spoon of sugar and let it be on a counter for few minutes )
When the water is cooled down to around 40 degrees Celsius, throw in sugar a stir it until it dissolves. Then add the rest of ingredients, bread and the yeast. Give it a final stir and let it sit it a warm room.
I’m not sure if you should cover the pot (or where you are gonna prepare it ), but i usually leave it open, just covered with clean dish-towel.
Wait for at least 12 hours ( sometimes more ) i usually leave it through night and the next day it is ready. usually it takes 16-20 hours ( if colder place, the whole day )
Part 2:
So you have your kvass ready. Now you need to collect the bread. Do it with sifter it will be floating on the surface. Throw it into the garbage. Be careful, try not to swirl the water too much, because on the bottom of a pot is the yeast, that we will collect later.
Be sure the water was not swirled or anything, if you managed to swirl it a lot, wait additional 30 minutes or so, until all the yeast and “muddy” water will lay down. If the kvass is clear, pour it slowly and steady so only the surface is flowing away, not the bottom parts.
The bottom part pour into separate jar or something, which you can store. That muddy, white yellowish thing at the bottom is the transformed yeast which multiplied. You divide the kvass and the kvass yeast, because in a first place, you don’t want to drink it, and secondly you can keep it in the fridge and the next time, you will you it instead of bought yeast.
So that kvass you separated, the clear part, now pour into the bottles and add few (3-5) raisins into each bottle. Close the bottle and let it like it at the room temperature for couple more hours. You will feel that the bottles are getting hard when you try to squeeze it. Don’t be afraid when it will be so hard as rock ( The bottle will withstand it no problem) That is good. Congrats, your drink is now naturally carbonated (and tasty as hell).
Only now put it into the fridge to stop most of the yeast processes. The raising will give it a final touch add a little bit of sweetness and throw in some kind of fruity fresh taste 🙂
Next time, you will do it use the the yeast which you collected from the batch of kvass and make previously. Each time use everything that you collected and always repeat. So each time you do kvass you are left with the yeast, which you will use to make another batch next time. And again and again. The longer you do it, the better the yeast is.
To be honest the first batch is PALE compared with second and third if you use the same yeast. During that process, the yeast will adapt and transform. Since yeast are bacteria, they will mutate or what. Not sure how it works 😀 but it is like with bread. The best bakeries use the same yeas for decades. Basically it is a living organism that evolves for what you use it for. It is like that what they sell in shop is all-purpose, universal, some basic, which you will nurse or nurture for what you need. It is something like a starter.
Notes:
After the initial time i let it to ferment (part 2) I just take out the bread and pour everything into 3 big glass jars, each has about 3-4 L. So when it sits I can clearly see where is the yeast and how much I can later pour into the bottles.
I also use stockings as a filter i put on funnel so i don’t have any bread crumbs in my final product in the bottles.
I guarantee, that if you have a family, that 10 Liter will last you a week at max. It just taste so good and it is co great in summer when you are really thirsty. You don’t even have that weird film on your tongue or that weir after taste like you do when you drink coke or some other sweetened beverage. It has no stupid added acids, just what the yeast produced.
Don’t forget you can alter the recipe. You can add more sugar or add less ( it will be bit more sour, like some lemonade) Or you can put it different dried fruit at the end. I trued cranberries, plums ( didn’t like it) etc.
If you will decide to do it, i hope you will enjoy. And don’t forget that the second batch from your own yeast will be better than the first one from the yeast you bought.
Enjoy and serve cold :)
Thank you so much for sharing that with us and for the detailed instructions. So awesome of you! 🙂
My first batch followed your recipe precisely.It turned out perfect(and obscenely easy).Last time I took liberties and put the burnt bread,raisins,sliced oranges,and a few star anise in a cheesecloth bag.It makes a nice,subtle variation with easy cleanup.The best recipes are simple,versatile,and often ancient.Yours is a great example,thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Vikk, I noticed that you do more steps at once (compared to the recipe on this page and many others online). You mention adding the sugar and yeast at the same time as the bread, where others brew the bread overnight, remove it, and THEN add sugar and yeast. Does it make a difference? I’ve just decided to follow your recipe to see how it turns out 🙂
I have been meaning to thank you for this recipe for a while now! Nothing tastes better after a solid workout than a good glass of kvass, I find! I have been wanting to make something that was like kombucha (which my family has been making), and I found out about kvass through that research. Being a big fan of Eastern European and Russian cooking, I just had to try it.
And I’m glad that I did! I put some mint into my initial batch, though not enough, and this second batch that I’m making will get a lot more. Absolutely delectable drink, I find! I do have one question though: Do you make kompot? There was a channel on YouTube that I watch called Life of Boris, and he talks about kompot quite often, even has a recipe. I was wondering if it was something you’ve ever made or thought about making.
Kanpai (as we would say back home)!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy the recipe and thanks for writing in :). I do like making kompot as well. Here is a recipe for kompot 🙂
So simple but So Wonderful, I was in the UK recently and some friends took me to a Lithuanian Restaurant where I had my first taste of Kvass. I thought I could make this at home and found this fantastic recipe. I’ve made a couple little variations but this recipe is really great and difficult to mess up. I’m not a cook so this was perfect for me. It tastes great I was really surprised because I’ve had difficulties in the past making home made brews but this turned out really well I highly recommend giving it a try.
Hi Greta! Thank you so much for the wonderful review 🙂 I really appreciate it! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could use milk/water kefir (or grains) in place of the yeast?
Thanks. 🙂
Hi, without testing that, I’m not sure. I actually have never used that combination so I couldn’t really guess. Sorry I’m not much help.
Hi, I was wondering if I can split the recipe in half?
Yes that should work fine.
I loved this recipe! I used a left over whole wheat bread that I make because it was what I had on hand. It is going to be a staple in my house. I may experiment with citrus peel at some point.
Thank you for the nice review. After reading your comment, I really crave some kvass right now 😀 .
Natasha kvass good but less sugar, horosh
Evgeni, the kvass becomes more flavorful and less sweet the longer it stands. The yeast eats up the sugar, so give it another day or two and it will be less sweet :). Hope this helps.
Beware though: the chemical compound acrylamide (which has been linked to cancer) forms when foods are burned. The darker the toast, the more acrylamide has formed… and is going to end up in your Kvas.
Yikes! I’ll have to look into that. Thanks Reed!
I have made kvass using this recipe many times, and the result has always been great. I have played around with different parameters, and found that a starting sugar concentration of 12% gave me the best results. After 2 days I put it in brown plastic 2L bottles (3/4 full) with a balloon on top (sort of water-lock), to let it ferment another 1-2 days. This is a great way to help dissolve the generated carbon dioxide.
A small note on the alcohol produced: it can be more than 1%. First I used bread yeast, afterwards I tried two types of Belgian beer yeast (habituated to wheat) and a type of wine yeast (Saccharomyces bayanus ; “Killer” strain – used for champagne). The result of the last experiment was naturally quite a high alcohol content but also a markedly slower fermentation, which could be speeded up by substituting glucose (aka dextrose) for table sugar.
Now, I use a mixture of the three above, as I always take a good part of the bottom layer to mix with some fresh yeast every batch, as to habituate the yeast to it’s job of making kvass. Who knows by now a wild strain could also have settled itself into the mix, analoguous to what happens in homebrewing beer.
The results taste-wise are optimal for me, I use Borodinskij type Latvian bread BTW (black, 50% wheat, 50% rye with some coriander seeds on top). Sometimes I swap dried cranberries for raisins, with good results, both can be added too.
After 2 days I assume the kvass contains about 2% alcohol, but it is a little too sweet for me. Optimal is 3 days, followed by 1 or 2 days fermenting in a bottle.
Today I distilled a 100ml sample (I am a qualified biochemist) and collected everything under 95°C. 4-5ml were collected, so as it was not a fractional distillation, i’d say the kvass contains 3-4% alcohol. Note that neither the distillate, nor what was left in the flask, smelled of fusel oil (higher carbon alcohols which are mildly toxic and often the cause of nasty hangovers), and no oily drops were noted after collecting the alcohol fraction.
Wow! I’m impressed! Thank you so much for Sharing all of tips!!
We love kvass in our family but my dad could never quite pin it down.. The store bought to me always tasted like old non carbonated coca cola and when we bought the kvas molasses at the Russian store the results were disappointing.
This recipe turned out amazing however on my secound round I will be leaving out one of the cups of sugar because it was to sweet for me and everyone who tried it although day 5 the last cup was perfect..
We just can’t wait that long!
To bitter it down the first two days we poured it over ice and squeezed a tad of lemon in!
Thank you for the great review Oxana :), I would love some ice cold kvas right now.
Natasha, thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe!! I’ve just done it and we are all really surprised!! We would have never ever believed the result of sucking some burned rye toasts in water! 🙂 Wonderful!!
I share it in my blog and it will be visible in a couple of hour! http://www.bruixesalacuina.blogspot.ch/
Hava wonderful day!!
Dolors
I know, right?! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it and thank you for sharing!
I remember having Kvas in Kyiv in 1992 during a visit there with my husband. Some of our local Ukrainian delis sell Kvas as well. This looks like an interesting recipe & one I will definitely try!
I hope it reminds you of the ones you tried in Kiev and I hope you love it! 🙂
Natasha, Is there any way of preparing it without yeast? I am trying to stay away from commercially manufactured yeast.
On the other note – I don’t see how the color effects the properties of kvas. Your picture looks like kvas my mom used to make. Doesn’t mean it’s not an authentic Russian recipe. I associate dark color with the commercially sold kvas.
Olga, I don’t haven’t tried making kvass without yeast. As far as the color goes, darker bread will make darker kvass.
You can find recipes that use sourdough starter in the kvass instead of commercial yeast
I followed your recipe exactly. It was ready at 3 PM this afternoon and it is way too sweet for us to drink. Could I add more water to what I already have and perhaps a bit more yeast and let it ferment some more? This drink is new to us and I would really like to get it right for our taste. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Let it ferment more if you want it to get stronger and less sweet. 🙂
Hi natasha. after covering the pot & letting it stay over night do i have to put it in a warm spot or just leave it on the stove? well Natasha ur due date is coming up, may God bless u & give u strength & hope ur delievery goes good & fast. my delievery was almost 16hrs. cant wait till u post pics of ur cuttie pie.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and blessings :). 16 hours!!! WOW! That is a major accomplishment. I bet you were exhausted after that kind of marathon but it’s all so worth it when you hold your new baby. :). At step 4, when you cover it with the lid, just leave it at room temperature overnight.
Recipe of BRAGA. Leave this kvass for 2 weeks and you will get an alcoholic bevarage. But you should be careful, because there is a change to become fall asleep on the place of tasting.
lol wow that is quite a recipe! It does get stronger with time and I always wondered how much alcohol is actually in it after 2 weeks.
Natashenka…I wonder if it is possible to make Kvass from a hearty multi grain Gluten Free bread, since it is not the gluten the yeast thrives on (I don’t think) but rather the starch or sugar in the carbs.
The recipe looks wonderful!
t
Guys, just buy it on eBay. It is cheep and from Russia
We have a similar recipe here in Québec that settlers used to make a long time ago. But there’s a twist. While the basic recipe remains the same, we add spruce tree extract (obtained by boiling branches and cones of a young spruce tree). You get the sweetness and a hop-like taste as a bonus. I’m gonna try your recipe pretty soon to compare both. Thanx for the sharing by the way!
That sounds really unique and interesting. I’ll pass that along to my husband. Thanks so much for sharing!
I’ve read the presentation of your apple Kvas and it reminded me of what I mentioned above. I believe birch tree “juice” would do the same as spruce tree but with a more acidic taste. Well, I guess we have some experimenting to do now!
We sure do! 🙂
Hi Natasha, im in the process of making ur recipe kvass, but with 4 cups of sugar, does that make kvass too sweet, can i cut the sugar recipe to 3 cups, bc i added 3 cups and it tastes pretty sweet to me!
With kvas, it does taste sweet at first, but as the kvas sits, day-by-day it gets stronger in flavor and less sweet as the yeast eats up the sugar. My family hasn’t complained of it being overly sweet, but I guess you could use a little less if you are planning to drink it all on the day it’s done brewing and is chilled 🙂
I absolutely loved this kvas recipe! To me it taste like home 🙂
For people who don’t want 2.5 gallons, but less. Instead of boiling 2.5 gallons, I did about 1.6 gallons, which is 6 liters. So all the ingredients I added I divided by 1.5, so 6 toasts, about 2.5 cups of sugar and 1 tbsp of yeast. For the bread, I used dark ray, my kvas is very very dark. Maybe it does differ in taste, but I still love it!
Natasha, thank you very much for sharing this with us!
Thanks for converting all that! I’m site someone else might be wondering how to scale it down. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe:-)
you messed up you have 2 step 8’s. but over all your recipe is so good!!
I sure do! Thanks so much for catching that! 🙂 Fixed!
I wouldn’t toast the bread twice in the darkest setting. I did and it caught on fire… My bread goes like the toast in the picture after one toasting and not even on the highest setting.
You must have a better toaster than ours! It caught fire? Wow!
You can make kvass in glass bottles with no problem. Like brewing beer, you just need to make sure you leave a bit of empty space at the top when filling the bottle. This will allow room for the CO2 that is produced when the yeast ferments into alcohol (the same CO2 that causes carbonation of the kvass, and the *pop* when you open the bottle). I filled my glass growler up till the neck.
I made this recipe just to try it out, made a few adjustments. I used light brown sugar, brewers yeast, and golden raisins. Day 2 it’s awesome, my Russian friend will be over in a day or so to try it. See what she thinks of it…thanks for the recipe
I like your adjustments! We’ll have to try next time. I bet the brown sugar gives it a nicer darker tint. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
what kind of raisins are used here they dont look like ordinary raisins
I assure you they are ordinary raisins 😉
The first time i made this my family loved it. thank you. Is there a way to make the kvas darker after I remove the bread and find out that it if not dark enough? I did not toast the bread enough. 🙁
Thank you for the good report Veronika. My husband made some this week. He toasted the bread 2 to 3 times on the toaster to make sure it was dark. At the end kvass did came out dark brown. If your bread is not black by the time its done toasting, toast it again. Hope this helps :).
I am going to the store to get the ingredients now. Can’t wait to make this. What I like to do with beverages I’m fermenting is place a balloon with a couple pin holes in it over the top of the bottle. As fermentation occurs, the balloon expands and excess gas is released through the pin holes. No explosions so far…
That’s a clever idea, I should try using that :).
Thanks much for your very easy recipe…I think it is fantastic!
I use a non-caraway dark rye that a local Russian market sells. The dough is actually made in Germany & shipped frozen to the market where it is baked and sold fresh.
I found cutting 1″ thick slices and thoroughly drying them a few days before toasting until very dark and burnt makes the most dark & flavorful Kvass. I also use ale or sometimes champagne yeast from a local homebrew store instead of bread yeast…either tastes way better. I often add other dried fruits to the raisins for variation, a few cut up prunes, a handful of cranberries or even apricots. Or sometime a tbsp of blackstrap molasses is nice, it also adds to a darker color.
I use coconut sugar because of it’s low glycemic index and I like the “round” flavor it adds.
This is a wonderful web site…very nice to visit, thank you.
Cheers, RonB
I really like all the suggestions and will have my husband test them out next time we make kvas which probably will be for Thanksgiving :).
I love this recipe. My girlfriend is from Kazakhstan and misses Kvas when she visits. I am an avid home beer brewer so Kvas is nice and easy. If you store it in a refridgerator for a few weeks it becomes rather entertaining. 😉
I use a sack made from cheese cloth to soak the bread (makes getting it out super easy) and use raw sugar rather than white. We don’t get the dark rye breads here so much, so it means I have to almost burn the bread to get the dark colour, but that is not a problem other than the smoke.
It is as good as the Kvas I bought while walking around Crimea in summer. I have a few Australians interested in Kvas now. 🙂
I like your idea of using cheese cloth. Even though we buy dark bread, I still toast it until its almost burned :).
I was born in Russia and miss the kvas we had there (it’s the only thing I miss about Russia really) and your recipe looks exactly like the kind of homemade bread kvas I used to like. I will try it. Only thing is my grandpa used to add a little bit of whey in it (from cheese making) like a spoonful or 2 before storing it overnight to jump-start the reaction. I make cheese at home regularly and have lots of fresh whey all the time. How do you think it will effect my kvas if I add some?
I’ve never heard of that before, so I can’t really recommend it. But that does not mean it can’t be done. If you test it please let me know how it works out. I’m very curious!
Well basically what whey does is help speed up the reaction of the yeast. I followed everything but added whey before starting fermentation and with just 1 spoon of it was waaaay too alcoholic. I repeated the process and let mine sit just 3.5 hours and it came out just right. basically it just helps start and keep fermentation faster than it would have been. I like the way it comes out and how the reaction is sped up. But I also heard it depends on type and quality of whey. How clear it is, what kind of milk or cream you used to make cheese, what acid you added when making it. Personally I like whey that appears from citric acid (like lemon juice) and regular whole milk. it’s clear and has no extra taste or strong smell. heavy cream kind is a bit weird looking and has strong smell. And if you use acid like white vinegar there is too much vinegary taste. I am going to have to experiment in using different kinds of whey. But i usually cook with the clear kind.
BTW when you make your kvas, during fermentation process (the 6 hours after you add yeast and sugar) do you cover it up completely and let no gas escape or do you put normal lid on which can let some gas escape? My pots have a small hole in the lid designed to let extra water/steam escape. I did 2 batches so far and there wasn’t much problem with that but should i cover it completely instead?
It doesn’t have to be airtight, just cover it to keep the bugs out 😉
That’s great to know! I have whey in the fridge right now. So it’s pretty potent after 3.5 hours with just 1 Tbsp of whey added?
Yes it is good to go already after 3.5 hours but i didnt freeze my whey. not sure what cold does to it. though either way with whey or not i added much less sugar. mine kept being too sweet. my dad liked both but me and my sister prefer the less sweet version. also 1 added 1tbs of whey for each pot. I separated all ingredients in half and did 2 pots since i didnt have a single pot that fit 2.5 gallons. and as for sugar i would recommend putting 1/2 of what is written in the recipe if you dont like sweet drinks. and also you can use glass containers IF you use 2 rubber gloves and and a rubber to close it. the rubber gloves (one in another to make sure they dont pop) would fill with the extra gas and it will not shatter the glass. (tip from my dad and my friend who makes beer a LOT) plus it tastes a bit better from glass because in reactions such as this plastic leaves aftertaste in the drink itself. barely there. but there is (also tip from them which i tested. put half of a pot in glass and half in plastic. for some reason glass one tastes better)
Thank you for sharing Anastasiya, I like the idea of putting rubber gloves on top of the glass containers :).
how to increase the alcohol content in it ?
by adding sugar only ? or also yeast ?
and if left to ferment longer before putting it in the fridge
will that help to increase also ?
lovely recipe ^_^
Letting it sit in the fridge longer is what will make it stronger. You can definitely taste the difference between 3 and 7 days.
My husband has been asking me to make kvas for some time and I get so intimidated by all the complicated recipes! This one seems easy:) Except one question… after day 1 where you leave it for 8 hours with the bread, do you leave it in the fridge or room temp?
leave it at room temperature :).
I made this on Sunday and tasted it about 24 hours later. It was far sweeter and lighter/opaque than kvas I drank in Russia. Also, the alcohol content was REALLY high! I drank a 12 oz glass and had to sit down (and not drive). I watered further quaffs at a 2:1 ratio and it tasted more like kvas. I followed recipe, but let it brew for around 20 hours. Too long?
Really?! Usually the longer it sits, the less sweet it is since the yeast eats up the sugar. We make this kvas all the time and it’s barely alcoholic. We don’t ever drink alcohol and the kvas doesn’t affect us one bit. I’m thinking something went wrong… At what point in the process did you let it brew 20 hours? And you put the correct amount of yeast? Hopefully it wasn’t instant yeast.
Thanks much.. I am so glad you like the homemade one better than the one with the concentrate. As a comment to readers.. a trip to the homebrew store or online will yield hygrometers if people care about alcohol levels ..and fancy bottles. I like the soda bottle idea .. safer..for such a drink
Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it. However, I just don’t have the fridge space for 3 big jugs. Does anyone have any tips for scaling it down?
You cut cut everything in half and it should work just as well 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Just started my first batch using this recipe. I used high-end artisan 100% rye bread (unfortunately without caraway). Because it was moister, it didn’t brown as well, but it smells like I remember from Lithuania. I used two packets of yeast, and cut the sugar by half a cup, as it has to be ready for Ukrainian guests tomorrow!
Regarding the rye and coloring, rye in the US simply isn’t as dark as in Europe. A German master bread baker told me that all dark rye bread in the US is colored using caramel coloring (usually artificial). This was confirmed when I browsed forums about baking European style dark breads. That probably is why the kvas in the US turns out much lighter than in GUS states.
In really looking forward to trying this!
Oh that’s great to know! My hubby does buy the rye bread in the Russian store nearby and it is almost black. Thanks for sharing. The kvas does become stronger and tastier with time.
I made this Kvas several times now and here is what I found out through trial and error. I found that proofing the yeast and dissolving the sugar first will cut the fermentation starting time. I think that 6 hours is not enough time to ferment the kvas. It is still too sweet and not very carbonated. I go for at least 8 hrs before I put mine in the refrigerator. Another thing I found out is the quality of the ingredients which go into making kvas drastically change the flavor and color of the final product. I found that good quality borodinsky bread, raisins, dry apricots, whole dried cranberries and goji berries make a very authentic tasting dark kvas.
Cheers,
Kirill
We will definitely have to try your version! Thanks for sharing!!
It’s popular not only in Ukraine and Russia. In Belarus it’s one of the most popular drink too.
Great recipe! I think it’s a good way to use the heels of bread. Using a couple of different kinds of rye or black bread helps give it more flavor. Then I like to toast the bread and raisins together in the oven. The cheap beer yeast from the brewing store is worth a try too, as it gives it more flavor than bread yeast. Otherwise, you can leave it out on a mild day (60-70 F) to catch wild yeast;)
Thanks so much for the tips!!
I made a half recipe of this by cutting all ingredients in half.
Turned out fine, but I remember the kvas I had in Odessa to have a stronger taste. Which ingredients do I alter to increase that signature kvas taste?
How long has it been since you made it? The longer it stands, the stronger it gets.
I Love Your Very Simple Recipe. I am Only making 1.6 QT but think it should turn out fine as I altered the ingredient amounts. One thing you forgot to mention is to proof your yeast. Dry yeast needs to be proofed by adding it to a little bit of water with a 1/2 teaspoon sugar to make sure it is alive and you get a reaction. If the yeast is dead, then your Kvass will not work out.
I guess that’s a great way to make sure your yeast is good 😉
The kvass was delicious! It taste just like the one they serve at weddings! Btw my mom says “ti maladetz” 🙂
Music to my ears :D, I’m glad you liked it. Tell your mom, “Thank you”.
Greetings from Carolina! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to check out your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the information you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI,
just 3G .. Anyhow, great site!
Welcome to the site Lyda :).
I never really wanted to try making kvas with original recipe (it sounded so complicated) but as soon as I saw burnt bread in your pictures, I thought that’s something I can actually do :))))) been making your apple kvas recipe for while now, everyone loves it! Making this one right now, just burned the bread again, man, Im so good at this :))) Love your website!!! Keep up the good work!!
Are you saying you are good at burning bread? lol. Your comment just made my day. Thanks! 🙂
Hi,Natasha ! S 2,5gallons vody u menja poluchilos pochti 5 (2liters) butilok kvassa! Ja chto sdelala ni kak vse? U tebia napisano 3!
The bottles in the picture are 2.84L each, so it makes about 8 1/2 Liters of Kvass. Hope that helps 🙂
made kvas yesterday. the best taste. The most important is …. it remind me kvas I had when I was a child. easy to make. all family loved it. definitely will make again, and again. thank you for the recipe.
Thank you Raisa, I’m glad that your family loved it. I always like a good report especially when it reminds you of your childhood :D.
I can’t find ANY black bread! I live in Alabama and It seems no one even KNOWS what it is here! Can someone help? I’ve seen a recipe to make it on allrecipes.com but I can’t find any of the things on the list either! Someone please help 🙁
You can use either classic black, dark or rye bread for this recipe. It doesn’t have to be black bread to work well 🙂
does it effect taste?
You wouldn’t notice the difference! 🙂
Then I will try that! Thanks
thank you so much for help, ya poprobuvala etot kavas and its taste the BEST OF THE BEST :), but for me just really bit sweet, so obezatelna ya bydy delat etot kvas more and more but with less sugar. Thanks a lot
It will get stronger and less sweet as it stands.
Natasha izvini, y menya takoj vopros, skolko on mozhet xranitsya, mne etot kvas nyzhen na ety syboty ( ya ego zdelala razlila v takiye zhe plastikovuye bytulki kak y tebya ( ot sodu nety, nepokypayu sody) i postavila v xolodilnik, on y menya bydet stoyat, ya ne bydy yburat xolodilnik ( ny ne polopayut bytulki 🙂 ). Pasibki, sorry asking tooooo much ?????
You might want to let out the pressure every couple days. It will be good on Saturday 🙂
Vchera zdelala na noch, sejchas zdem 6 hours i potom bydem probuvat.
Kak tu dymaesh a esli on postoit bolwe nezheli 6 hours, a potom v xolodilnuk, kokoj on bydet? ili lytwe ne probuvat a to isportit mozna 🙂 pervuj raz delayu kvas, i hope taste turn out great, my husband and brothers LOVED kvas, they always pokypayut v Russian store (monasturskij), so I hope they will enjoy this one. Thanks a lot for all your recipes ( made so many already, and it was always turn really YUMMY & GOOD). Thanks a lot for all your hard work ….
We’ve only tried making it one way and it works well so we haven’t tried to change it. 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment!
Hi Natasha –
Etot xleb eto tolko dlya kraski kvasy, ili on dayet kakoy to vkys ?
bolwoye pasibki
Bread gives kvas dark color and flavor, hope this helps.
What is the maximum time for this to sit the first night?
8-9 hours
A tip for those who like dark Kvas. Melt your sugar in the skillet and add it when it still hot so it doesn’t harden. Your kvass will be darker. That’s what my mom does and melted sugar also adds extra flavor.
I’ll definitely try that next time. I love learning from my blog readers 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Wow,this seems a nice beverage. What kind of dry yeast to make kvass? Can I use baking yeast?
I use the Red Star Brand. It is an active dry yeast.
I’m in Georgia (The country, not the US state) and they sell Kvas (or Kvasi, as they call it) here in the summer from little kiosks, and it tastes somewhere between cola and weak beer. But it is perfect on a hot afternoon. or with a late meal in a restaurant.
You CAN buy it bottled, but it is hard to find. And impossible in the winter.
I tried your recipe yesterday, and am reaping the rewards today. Whilst not EXACTLY like the drinks I was buying (theirs is darker, more ‘malty’ and clearer), your recipe is a real taste of summer on this cold Tbilisi evening.
Unfortunately, after a year here, I am leaving soon, but happier that I will be taking this taste back with me.
Thank you!
Welcome to the site 🙂 We make this kvas on the regular bases. If you toast the bread to black, kvas will be darker. I hope you’ll find more favorites on the site.
Thanks:))))
I toasted mine well, but it was a little lighter than yours. I’m guessing your toaster has a higher setting.
My local friends have looked at it with some trepidation, they are used to something clearer, but they liked the flavour.
Your version continues to ferment, I guess. So to test just how much, I placed ONE 2L Coke bottle in the fridge to ‘kill’ the process with cold, and left another, 8L store water bottle (containing just 6L) outside, where it is warmer. Storing the kvas in a water bottle seems fine, but the gas builds up quickly, requiring a 1-2 hour ‘release’. I JUST forgot and 4+ hours later, the plastic bottle was a little more spherical than normal and the lid flew across the room after I released it 😀
I’ll certainly be checking out some other recipes. 🙂
🙂 Soda bottles are the best for kvas because they are designed for the higher pressure. The longer you let it sit, the more fermented it will be.
Hands down this is the best recipe I have found. Thanks for sharing as it makes the best, tasty kvass I have ever had.
You are welcome Alan, I’m glad that you like the recipe 😀
We used to do this in a Army to make ”Braga”. Raising was much accessible than sugar. We were mixing Braga in old Soviet vertical washer with much more yeast and pack in empty fire extinguishers. Since it real cold in Siberia we had hide them inside baraks , replacing real fire extinguishers with ares. After a week or sow it get high in alcohol. Longer it stay stronger it get. Hit your brain like a sludge hammer. Never had a problem with eextinguisher burst. Never get busted by officers.
Oh my gosh. You made me laugh. That is quite the kvas adventure!
I’m a Peace Corps. volunteer and this is sooo popular in my host country (especially during the summer when it seems to be offered on every street corner in every major city). Such a refreshing drink during those hot summer months! Thanks for the recipe and I hope you won’t mind if I share it with others?
You are more than welcome to share the recipe Kim (as long as it’s not word-for word copy/paste; google will ding your site for duplicate content & I always appreciate a link back) 🙂 , welcome to the site!
Hi Natasha,
Really excited to try making this. Since it involves waiting for long hours, I was wondering: How would you schedule making this in the middle of the week around a workday? Would you start during evening of day 1, do next step next morning, step in the evening and have it ready on morning of day 3?
Also, how sensitive is the recipe to temperature changes? I live in San Francisco, use a heater at night, so the temperature in the apartment falls and rises throughout the day. Any tips on that?
Best time to make kvass, is towards the evening, just like you stated. Serguei, I would recommend placing kvass mixture in warm temperature to help yeast ferment better. At night you might have to place it closer to the heater. I hope this helps.
Has anyone tried Grolsh-style reusable seal beer bottles for kvass? Any danger in that considering that these bottles are made to contain fizzy beer?
Thanks in advance! I can’t wait to try the recipe!
D
I used a similar bottling method and it works fine but you really need to watch the built up pressure and release it every so often otherwise it ends up everywhere.
I loosen it up all week long because it makes me nervous. 😮
Grolsch type bottles are good, but leave an inch and a half head room before sealing. It gives any additional carbonation some where to go.
I’ll have to look into that. Where do you get them?
So much commotion on what kind of bottle to use, I think that you should just go on what you have used glass, plastic, aluminum….. it’s just like moms arguing about what diapers are best pampers leak, huggies give a rash wal-mart brand just falls apart. You just have to try it and if it doesn’t work for you it might work for someone else. I used pampers for 2 years while my sister in-law only used huggies because pampers were no good for her……..by the way I made this and my husband loved it and he was really impressed by my skills 🙂 and I used a glass jar with a cheese cloth on top. Thanks Natasha 🙂
Ha ha, you’re right! This is starting to turn into a diaper debate. Huggies gave my son rashes. I’m a pampers gal, but yes huggies are obviously still in business so it must be great for many babies. I guess I just need a disclosure that says, “caution, Kvas may explode”; and be done with it. I’m glad you and your hubby enjoyed the kvas and that he was impressed by your skills. 🙂
I’m trying your recipe for Kvass, and thought I would add the tip that I decided to toast my bread on the gas grill outside to avoid smoke in the house. Some of it got quite black – even flaming a bit. I did it late in the day, with not much light, so next time I may halt the toasting a little sooner. What we’ve sampled so far tastes really good, tho. Thanks!
That is a great tip! Sounds even better than toasting in the garage!
I made this using a plastic juice bottle and found that it did not distort too much.
I had a Russian visitor who loved this recipe and took a bottle of Kvas with him to drink on his travels!
We both agree this tastes just as good as the Kvas that can be purchased on the side of the road in Ukraine!
Well done a great easy to make recipe!!
Stephen, thank you! I’m glad you found it to taste authentic.
Finished a Kvass with Anadama Bread last night based on this recipe. It turned out quite well I think. But I have no frame of reference as it was my first. In any case thank you for your help!
And it will change in flavor every day as it stands! I’m glad you like it and it’s good to know that other breads work well.
This is the first time I had kvas and I liked it. It’s very different than American beers. The recipe was easy to do. But I thought the next time maybe I’ll try lemon peel or zest instead of the raisins. I think it may provide a nice citrus flavor. Any thoughts?
I’ve heard of lemon kvass but we haven’t tested it. I don’t see why not 🙂
use raisins they are like vitamins for the yeast, but you only need about 20 per gallon
Ok this is by far the best kvas I have ever made!!! Thanks so much for posting this recipe.. My husband said finally the real kvas 🙂
And thank you ladies for adding that little tip about blackening the bread in the oven (broiler) I was a little scared that it was too burned but turned out really good.
Inessa, that’s awesome!! I’m so glad you and your husband loved it! I’ll tell Vadim; he’s are resident kvas expert. 🙂 The first time my hubby was making this kvas, I was also shocked that we had to burn the bread that much! I gave him a hard time over it and made him call his cousin to verify.
Hi,
I’m in the process of making kvas for the first time. For some reason I’m not getting the foam you’re getting on the photos. I’m already up to step 8, and still no foam. Did I mess up?
Thank you.
It only foams when you stir it. The yeast is what causes it to foam like that when it’s stirred. It doesn’t really foam that way until you stir it. Does that help?
Oh, OK. I thought my yeast were on strike or something.
Thank you.
Natasha this kvas is very good! My grandma makes the best kvas and this is very similar to hers, thank you so much! I’m going to ask her for the recipe and try and compare these two. This one is very good and so easy!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Natasha – thank you for sharing this recipe. Question – which kvas do you think is tastier – this one or the one from your original recipe here (https://natashaskitchen.com/2010/07/09/russian-kvas-recipe/) ?
This one is a little sweeter, but if it stands for a few days, it gets quite a kick to it! I really think they are equal in flavor. We have been making this one lately since there is no concentrate required. This is our favorite.
My friend (one has actually been to Russia and has tasted kvass before) has yet to try it. But, in my opinion, the kvass this recipe makes is sweet and refreshing! It’s the first time I have every had it, and I’m not disappointed at all!
Oh, and there wasn’t any dark rye at any stores nearby, so I used a marble rye bread.
Thanks for the tip! It does get less and less sweet as the days go by. I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
How long should you stir the mixture after you add the sugar and yeast? Do you want to stir it until dissolved?
Yes, stir until they are dissolved.
I just made the kvas. and it turned out superrrrrrrrrrrr delicious!!!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe=))
I live in Houston and have a hard time finding dark Russian style bread. I have to drive too far to the international store to get it. I bought some rye bread at our local grocery and toasted it. We’ll see what happens. As soon as I get a little better from this flu, I will make the Kvas. Can’t wait!!!
We also just used regular black bread with rye in it. Let me know hot it turns out and I hope you feel much better very soon.
My mama used to always make kvas with rye so that what I made my kvas/ your recipe with rye bread and it was really good. Thank you
My husband just made it again earlier in the week, and it’s almost gone. I’m glad that you liked it.
Natasha…This looks soo good!!!! Can I use instant yeast?
I haven’t tried instant yeast so I really can’t say. I’ll ask around, but I have no idea. Sorry.
actually if you use ANY beer yeast your kvas is better than made with bread yeast, black rye that tastes of molasses and BEER yeast= BEST kvas..
Thank you for the recipe…babushka would make this with black bread but she would also make another version with raisins. Do you have a recipe without the bread? I will definitely try making this…as children we would sneak into the kitchen and steal the raisins floating on top….mmmmm!
That’s cute; the raisins 🙂 I never thought to taste them! I don’t have one without bread. I’m still working on a lemon kvas though which doesn’t have bread and there’s the apple juice kvas that doesn’t require bread that I have posted. Check out the drinks section.
Hey, sort of off topic, but do you know any recipes for poppyseed strudel? You should definitely make a blog post for it if you do! :j
I don’t but that does sound really good! I’ll keep it in mind.:)
Do you have it covered when it’s sitting on the counter for 6 hours?
Yes, cover with the lid or plastic wrap. I added that little step to the post 🙂 Thanks!
hey does it really matter what kind of name brand, of bread you use?? like the “natures own”, do you think that would be a good one?
Any brand is fine. I just picked a black bread from Winco.
does the store kind have slight alcohol in it too??
You know, I don’t think so. I think homemade kvas becomes slightly, slightly alcoholic because the yeast settles at the bottom and the store one doesn’t seem to have that. The first couple days it probably has little-to-no alcohol content, but it does get a little stronger with each day because the yeast continues to work on the sugar in the bottle. But really, even after 5-7 days (if it lasts that long), it should still be less than 1%.
Hi everyone, I added a tip up there if you’ve already printed the recipe: Toast bread either outside or in your garage or your house will get smokey. We learned the hard way 🙂
Ha ha ha i learned this the hard way all my smoke detectors went off and i have three downstairs and one upstairs. So i switched it up , I placed bread on a cookie sheet and stuck it in the oven broiler high for about 3-4 minutes pulled it out flipped them and then i stuck it back in the oven. Got them blackened all at once and took less time. And I used to always use Pepsi bottles. Yes they are made for drinks with pressure before i used a sturdy plastic juice bottle and it exploded my entire kitchen was covered in freckles. That was not fun mopping the ceiling.
That’s a great tip to bake the bread. Oh my gosh!! it exploded? That’s wild. Ok, I’m going with all glass next time or pepsi bottles. Thanks for the tip. I wouldn’t like mopping the ceiling either!!
Like Fritz stated above, it is best to use plastic bottles designed for holding pressure. If I remember correctly soda/coke bottles can hold up at least 10x more pressure than the carbonated drink contains, and that’s a whole lot more than a kvass recipe can produce. And if something should happen it will be the cap that pops off. So essentially the cap can be viewed as a safety valve similar to what they use in industry on pressurised reaction vessels.
When in doubt point the top with the cap away from your face.. 🙂
It is no wonder that a plastic bottle designed to hold fruit juice or something similarly non-carbonated will rupture in no time. When using glass, I’d be careful only to use glass bottles designed for holding pressure, such as champagne/vin mousseux bottles (or high fermentation beer bottles but they are of course limited in volume). The glass is much thicker and the bottles are more sturdy than your average wine bottle.
When I was a student I was experimenting with brewing herbal beers, and foolishly put the broth containing *way* too much sugars and yeast in individual beer bottles, some of the high fermentation type, and some were the ultra cheap type which were very thin walled. I put them inside a closet, luckily, about a week later when watching TV in the evening there was a sudden, loud explosion and there room filled with a penetrating fermentation smell. One of the thin el cheapo bottles exploded and the glass shards actually penetrated the wooded closet door.
The high fermentation type held well, but when opened all the contents shot two meters high and none was left in the bottle.
So all this to say: plastic soda/coke bottles are your friend here, don’t use glass if you are not certain they were designed to withstand pressure.
Thanks for your delicious recipe btw!
NOOOO!! Don’t use glass!!! That can be extremely dangerous. As a homebrewer who has exploded glass containers before, I can tell you, the plastic is MUCH safer and less apt to explode. I’ve had to pull glass fragments out of the wood of my cabinets, deeply embedded from the force of explosion.
I’m guessing you could use glass bottles with a cork top? I would think the cork would pop out before the glass would explode….they sell these types of bottles at IKEA.
You know I haven’t tried that but I would hope it popped out before it exploded. :-O
I just printed your recipe and so excited on trying to make it. But why cant i use pepsi plastic bottles? I will let you know how it turned out…
I wouldn’t use pepsi plastic bottles. I haven’t tried using them but I’m afraid to. I think they’re too lightweight and have a higher risk of,… well, explosion. I’d either use sturdy plastic juice bottles or glass.
P.S. I posted an extra tip on the recipe to toast the bread outside or in the garage or your whole house will smell like burnt bread.
My other cousin tells me that he makes kvas in pepsi bottles and that they are made to hold pressure. I guess if you try it, do it at your own risk 🙂
when my mom makes kvas and doesnt have sturdy bottles, she puts them in pepsi bottles. when she notices that the bottles swell, she simply opens the top to let the “gas” out for a few seconds and closes them again. overnight, she leaves the cap just a tad bit loose to let the gas escape and not explode. lol. but kvas doesnt last long in our house. maybe 2-3 days max, so its still pretty good even when she kept opening the bottles…
I do the same thing; open the bottles when they get a little too inflated!
The plastic Pepsi bottles are less likely to explode than that glass jar. The Pepsi bottle is designed to hold pressure, the jar is not. Also, it it does explode, the Pepsi bottle will just make a mess while the jar will send shards of glass flying. Putting anything that will produce pressure in a glass container that is not specifically designed to hold in pressure is dangerous.
As for the recipe, I think I’ll try it out soon. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Fritz!! That is a great point. I’ll edit the recipe to reflect what you said. Enjoy the Kvas!
Just reading through the recipes and comments here. And just so you know the glass jar won’t actually explode it will more likely crack and leak onto the floor or just break. The danger area is when you try to pick it up when the pressure is just under popping it and it breaks in your hand.
I know this from experience. I have been making fermented beverages for over 13 years now. I started in college in my dorm room closet.
Concerning soda bottles they will completely loose shape and won’t stand straight due to the bottom rounding out before popping and even then it will most likely shoot the cap of and that does go quite high and by then most of the liquid will have exited as well in the show.
As Fritz mentioned glass bottles can explode violently… I experienced it. However I was lucky that nobody was in the same room when one of my bottles exploded because it was enough to spread shards of glass throughout a 15’X20′ room.
You can get broken glass all over and the danger of it flying all over too.
Should use a water/gas lock as used in fermenting wine or beer. The safest
and preserves your alcohol content.
As often as we make kvas, we should invest in that! Where can I find one?
You can puncture a balloon with a needle and simply use a balloon as a cap. It lets pressure out slowly but doesn’t let the drink oxidize and loose flavor. It will also allow you to use any container without fear of explosion of the vessel.
That’s a great idea! Do you have to puncture the balloon? Thanks so much Bob 🙂
Elvira, we purchased the bread at winco; all the ingredients are easily accessible; that’s why I love this recipe!!
My husband attempted making kvass a few months ago…. It didn’t turn out too great. I think its because he didn’t use a good dark Russian style bread. We will have to try your recipe and see how it goes!
I tried making this recipe for Kvass and I skyped my Latvian and Russian friends a picture of what the kvass looked like and even a photo of Natasha’s kvass. They all said that it was too light in color and that it is not opaque in color. Here is a photo website they sent me to use for reference: http://www.photo-dictionary.com/phrase/4410/kvass.html#b
btw they said that it should taste similar to coca-cola and it is carbonated. And for those who are wondering if store bought has alcohol in it…. Yes it does. Anytime you have active yeast in a drink, it’ll eat sugar and produce alcohol as a by-product. So yes kvass does have alcohol but very little unless you keep it fermenting for a week or two and add more sugar. The process for this recipe is similar to home brewing. So if you can make this then congratulations you made your first beer lol.
Natasha’s recipe tastes good by the way. But according to my internet friends it doesn’t look like the real deal, homemade or commercial. And I personally don’t think it tastes anything like coca-cola.
It does clear up as it stands, but we like to drink it sooner or it gets too strong.
Kvas bought on the streets in Russia looks exactly like in the “Russian Kvas recipe” here, slightly lighter than this one thought. I’ve had it many times. I never though it tastes like coca-cola because it’s not so sweet and the flavour is different, completely unique. Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Definitely nothing like coca cola and much healthier than a coca cola; you’re right there is less sugar and it’s unique in flavor 😉
There are factory-made versions of kvas that do taste similar to Coca Cola, but they are not fermented but carbonated in the same way as most soft drinks. Natashas recipe results in real, homemade kvas. (I like both but prefer the homemade kind. I like the sweet, yeasty flavour).
I prefer fermented taste to carbonated as well :). My husband is going to make some again for Thanksgiving. He was planning on adding some dried apricots and cranberries besides just raisins to see what difference in flavor it will make.
It doesn’t seem as they describe because they describe manufactured kvass we can nowdays buy in any shop in Latvia, Russia etc. And they are right. But have to remember that there was a time when kvass was homemade drink and this is a way how our ancestry did it.
I’ve seen and tried a variety. There is a color spectrum when it comes to kvass. It all depends on the ingredients.
I loved this one.
Thank you Natasha!
Thanks Dasha! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Shaun,
You can add molasses to it to darken it.
There are a lot of Russians in America (our recipes are considered authentic Russian too! ^-^). To have good kvass- an authentic Russian could prepare it, it doesn’t necessarily have to be made on the geographic region ^-^
Dear Natasha, so refreshing to find your site and this recipe! I used to buy kvass from a huge barrel while travelling in Russia, it was indeed the most addictive lite drink. I am thinking to start making my own kvass at home for its probiotic health benefits, but I am wondering if there is a way to make a rye bread kvass with less sugar, or better without sugar? Will really appreciate if you can throw some light. Btw, finding so many traditional recipes I grew up enjoying as a child, is so….tasty. Keep up the great work!!
Hi Victoria, the yeast feeds on the sugar which helps to develop the flavor. Over time, the sugar is eaten up by the yeast and it becomes less and less sweet. I haven’t experimented with using less so I’m not sure how that would affect the fermenting process.
Kvass in Russia has different colors from light to dark brown and in the dark ages use to be an alcoholic beverage too. Still alcoholic in communities of old orthodox refugees and baptists from Russian empire to the Northern and Latin America.
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I’ve tried several commercial kvas samples both in Russia and in the local Russian store. Because it is marketed as a soft-drink in most countries it cannot contain alcohol, even 1%. That is why commercial kvas nowadays isn’t even kvas, but carbonated malt extract. In the old days when they had the kvas-tanks outside it was real, fermented kvas. As is Natasha’s recipe. The more rye your bread contains (the blacker the bread), the darker the resulting kvas, but when you wait too long this will lighten too, such is the chemically reducing action of yeast.
To compare: in Belgium we have a sort of table-beer (Piedboeuf) that only contains 1% alcohol and children are allowed to drink, and is by many considered more healthy than sugar-loaded cola.
The children probably sleep well in Belgium. lol. 😉 Thanks for sharing!