Recipe: Kefir Bread
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This has got to be the easiest fermented bread I have ever made! And a soaked recipe that has actually turned out at that! And the best part about it? It has only 3 ingredients.
Let’s begin shall we?
Take 5 cups of whole wheat flour and place into a mixing bowl
Add 2 teaspoons of salt
Add about 2 – 3 cups of dairy kefir (the amount will vary based in the moisture in your flour)
(a small note about the kefir – the longer it has cultured the more sour your bread will be. I found that we like it best when it’s only been cultured for 24 hours)
You’ve added enough kefir when the bread is sticky, but doesn’t stick to your finger when you pull it back. Using either a mixer or hand, knead for about 5 minutes. Cover and let sit for 24 hours in a warm place.
After 24 hours, shape into a loaf and place in a bread pan. Cover and let rise for about 3-4 hours in a warm place.
(It may rise more when it bakes. My first loaf did not rise At. All. But then almost doubled in the oven!)
Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until hollow sounding when tapped. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling on a wire rack.
While just slightly more dense than a traditional yeasted and unsoaked bread, this makes a great sandwich bread!
Optional ingredients:
I have also added a few teaspoons of sugar to this bread while mixing and it made for a less sour flavor. I’ve added 2 Tbsp of oil to this as well and it improved the flavor yet again.
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If you have an instant read thermometer, use it to help with the bread. If you think it is done, take it out of the bread pan and stick the instant read therm into the bottom of the loaf-so it is in the middle. It should read about 200 to be done.
Several times I have done the ‘thump’ test and gotten uncooked middles. Since I have started checking w/ the therm, I haven’t had problems at all!
Also, I liberally ‘butter’ the pans with hardened coconut oil and my bread has not stuck anymore!
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mmmm, this sounds great! now I just need wheat and kefir to get it done
We haven’t made it to our supplier to get more grain yet and may not until the end of the month. Thanks for the easy recipe Donielle!
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Do you think it could be done with buttermilk instead?
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donielle Reply:
April 12th, 2010 at 9:48 am
@Melinda, Maybe if it was a cultured buttermilk. (?) The reason this works with kefir is that kefir has natural yeasts in it that helps it rise.
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Do you still get the benefits of the cultured milk after its been cooked?
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donielle Reply:
April 12th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
@Sonia, Not in the probiotic sense. But the cultured dairy does help make the wheat easier to digest – kind of predigesting it for us.
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That looks easy enough for me! I think I am going to give it a try this week. Thanks for sharing!
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Do you think this could be made with coconut flour? The recipe looks great! Thank you for sharing!
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This is AWESOME!! THanks so much for sharing this because this is pretty close to sourdough and so much easier!!
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I’m wondering if water kefir would work………..?
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donielle Reply:
April 13th, 2010 at 8:13 am
@lisa, I’m thinking yes. Which is why I started a new loaf just this morning!
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This looks great! I often to a combination of dairy kefir and water to soak my flour to make bread – but I bet this would be even tastier!
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I finally baked this today…and I am totally new to fermented grains so this was interesting for sure! I added raw sugar and olive oil, but it still is rather sour for me. I used 24 hour kefir too. Will this freeze ok? I doubt my family will eat it and I don’t want to waste it, but it’s going to take me a bit to get used to it. I thought I’d toast a slice for breakfast and put butter and honey on it and see how it tastes.
Thanks for posting this recipe, it was fun to try!
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donielle Reply:
April 16th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
@dawn, I would think it would freeze fine. You could also use it to make french toast. Slightly sour bread tastes great when made into french toast and topped with lots of butter and maple syrup.
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Donielle, thanks for posting this! I’ve been thinking about this bread since you mentioned it. I didn’t realize just how easy it was…
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donielle Reply:
April 16th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
@Alex, Easiest bread ever.
Works great with water kefir too! Albeit a bit more dense since mine didn’t rise as high – but the taste was great and not sour at all.
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will this also work with other types of flours? my husband is allergic to wheat, so when i’ve been brave enough to try, i’ve made bread from a comb of GF flours (like brown rice, millet, tapioca)… but i’ve also thought about trying buckwheat recipes. could this work? i am still pretty new to all of this so i feel like i’m missing something here. thanks in advance!
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