Final Product!!! Almond Milk Kefir

Well I am not hooked on not only almond milk kefir, but also homemade almond milk. It is simply delicious and knowing that I made it myself and I know all of the ingredients makes it that much better.
I will go through the steps that I did and some pictures in case you wish to try it yourself. If you drink almond milk on a regular basis I highly suggest that you try at least making your own almond milk, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Step 1: Soak 2 cups of almonds in water for about 12-16 hours, the water should cover the almonds.

Step 2: rinse the almonds then add them to your blender with 6 cups of cold water, also add a dried fig or date for the sugar. You can also use stevia if you want sweetness and it will not affect the fermentation process. ( I suggest using a high quality blender, the one I used is quite cheap and I will be buying a better one soon, it will make the process easier for you)
Blend on high for about 20 secs, there should form some froth on the top and the color should look white like milk!

Step 3: You will need to strain out the almond pulp from the almond milk. I used a cheese cloth and in the process of opening the packaging I sliced my fingers on the cardboard inside, like massive paper cuts! Ouch! I will be looking into something better to use for the next time. 

Step 4: Strain out all the milk into a bowl by squeezing the cheese cloth full of almond pulp. 

----- you will now be left with almond pulp and almond milk, how exciting! Do not throw away the almond pulp, there are so many recipes that involve almond pulp so you must try!

Step 5: Adding the probiotics. Below is a picture of what I used, many recipes call for the capsules that you can break apart and add to your almond milk I found the powder easier to use. I added about 2 tsp of this kind of probiotic. Now gently stir in your probiotic.

Step 6: Wrap your mixture that is in a bowl with a cloth towel and set it in a warm, still area. I used my oven. To keep the temp around 70 degrees I made sure to keep my oven light on and my house at a warm temp. This is when the fermentation process occurs. Your mixture will need to set anywhere from 12-18 hours. When the time is up your mixture should have a yogurt type of smell to it, if it does not then it didn't work or it needs to set for longer. I was able to get mine to work the first time, so I was very pleased.

Step 7: The best containers to use to store your almond milk kefir is in mason jars. Put it in the frig and it should last about a week. It might separate and this is fine just give it a shake before use. 

Step 8: Enjoy your delicious beverage! Ta-Da!

Hope you enjoyed my blog and you get to try this yourself. Good Luck!

So after a failed attempt of making "water based kefir", I am not in the process of making Almond Milk Kefir. Almond milk (and rarely soy milk) is the only kind of milk I will drink. I have recently cut out all dairy products to help my skin, so far it has made a huge difference. The process of making almond milk kefir isn't too complicated but it does take time, just like all fermentation projects do.

I bought a bunch of organic raw almonds and they are currently soaking in cold water. They must soak for twelve hours. The almonds must be raw as well, if they are roasted or blanched it will not work.
After they soak I will rinse them off and mix in a blender with 6 cups of water and a dried fig; the dried fig give it the sugars it needs to ferment. Once it blends you have to strain out the blended almonds so you just have the "milk". I will be using cheese cloth to strain it. I will be adding probiotics to this; I bought a powered blend that I got from healthy living. The process goes on from here, a bit similar to making yogurt- it has to heat up then sit for 12 hours or so.

I am very excited to see how this comes out and I also saw many recipes that I can use the pulp with, "waste not, want not" right?
This picture is not very exciting but this is all I have so far….

Research Update

So I have not officially started making kefir just yet, but I have spent some time doing some research to find the best recipes for making kefir. I am currently drawn to the idea of making water kefir. It is a dairy free probiotic-rich drink that contains over 450 strains of beneficial yeast and bacteria. This process seems quite simple, but there are some supplies I will need to get before I start. Sugar is a necessary ingredient in this process; I am going to use organic evaporated cane sugar. Any sugar will do, but I would like to find the best sugar for my product. Honey will not work in this process because honey is antibacterial in nature so it will kill off those beneficial bacteria we are trying to produce. Other things I will need is warm and cold water, a quart mason jar, a strainer, and of course the kefir grains. Before I order the kefir grains online I am going to stop by Healthy Living in South Burlington on Dorest Street to see if they have what I need. I should be able to pick up my sugar there as well.

For those of you who haven't been to Healthy Living I strongly recommend it. It is the best organic/local food store in the area and the staff is also very helpful.

I am planning on starting this process this following week. I think I will start with an attempt to make water kefir and than move on to milk kefir. The possibilities are endless! So stay tuned for further updates and pictures.

Since my eyes have been opened up to fermenting my own food, I am in a constant search for new and exciting recipes. I make homemade yogurt about twice a week; it took me a couple tries to get it down but now its so easy!

For this fermentation project I want to explore making my own kefir. Kefir is becoming more popular as people search for healthy ways to receive vitamins and minerals, it is also packed full of probiotic organisms. I have found that there are a bunch of different types of kefir; water kefir, milk kefir, coconut milk kefir, and even goat milk kefir. I am guessing that the milk kefir process is similar to the yogurt making process and since I am familiar with this, it will be the one I start with first. One website I found states that kefir generally takes 12 to 48 hours to form, but the time will vary depending on a couple environmental factors; the most important one being, temperature.

I will probably get started on this project this weekend, seeing how I have the time. I am very excited!