How to make milk kefir at home (kefir kaise banaye)

Milk kefir is the easiest ferment to learn. You need live kefir grains, milk and a clean glass jar. Add the grains to the milk, wait about a day, strain and drink. The grains go straight into the next batch, so one set keeps making kefir for a long time when you look after it.

Takes 12–24 hours

You’ll need

• 1 to 2 teaspoons of live milk kefir grains
• Up to 1 litre of full-cream milk
• A clean glass jar
• A plastic or nylon strainer (stainless steel is fine too)
• A wooden or plastic spoon
• A coffee filter or tight-weave cloth, and a rubber band

Which milk should I use?

Fresh full-cream milk from the dairy is fine once it is boiled and cooled below 30°C. Packet (UHT) milk works for a batch or two and is a handy backup, but for daily feeding use pasteurised milk or boiled fresh milk. Avoid flavoured milk and tea whiteners. Goat’s milk gives a thinner kefir. Buffalo milk gives a very thick one, so thin it with a little cow’s milk or water if you like.

Method

1. Prepare. Wash your hands and the jar. If you use fresh milk, boil it and let it cool until it is lukewarm or cooler.
2. Mix. Put the grains in the jar, pour in the milk and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon.
3. Cover and wait. Cover with a coffee filter or cloth and a rubber band. Keep it at 20 to 29°C, out of direct sun. In very hot weather use fewer grains, choose the coolest room and check from 6 to 8 hours.
4. Check. At about 12 hours it is thin and mild. At about 24 hours it is thicker and tangy. By 48 hours it splits into curds and whey.
5. Strain. Pour through the strainer into a bowl. Put the grains straight into fresh milk for the next batch.
6. Store. Keep the kefir in a clean jar in the fridge. It tastes best in the first week and stays good for 2 to 3 weeks if kept cold.

Want more flavour? Leave the strained kefir out for 6 to 12 more hours with a cinnamon stick, a drop of vanilla or a strip of citrus peel, then take the flavouring out and chill it.

Troubleshooting

• Too thin? Give it longer, or use full-cream milk.
• Separating into curds and whey? It cultured too long. It is still fine to drink: whisk or strain it. Next time use less grain, more milk, a cooler spot or less time.
• Fizzy or yeasty smell? Normal, especially in hot weather. If it smells pleasantly sour and looks clean, it is fine.
• Grains not multiplying? Grains often take 6 to 8 weeks to start growing, and some never grow much. They still make kefir.
• Mould? White, green, orange, red or black fuzzy spots, or pink patches, mean you should throw away everything, grains included.

Going away? Put the grains in 2 cups of fresh milk, close the lid and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. For longer, rinse the grains, dry them on parchment paper for 3 to 5 days and keep them in an airtight bag in the fridge for up to 6 months.

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