Milk Kefir : Second Fermentation

These days when I make milk kefir, I put it through a second fermentation.

During the first fermentation, the microbes (good bacteria and yeast) eat the milk lactose and produce nutrients. When you do a second fermentation, you are further feeding the microbes where they will then produce even more nutrients (to know more about what nutrients watch the Youtube video at the end of this post).

The second fermentation uses fruits (they are not for you! but for the microbes) as food for the bacteria and yeast.

I use a slice of orange and a few frozen berries.

After straining the milk kefir from the first fermentation, I pour the kefir into the bottle with the fruits.

I let it stand for an hour and then store the kefir in the fridge. Once chilled overnight, I enjoy the probiotics the next day.

The second fermentation improves the taste (no, not sweet, just less tart and very pleasant) as well as thickens the kefir.

This bottle was made with 500ml of pasteurized milk but with the amount of kefir grains that can ferment 1000ml of milk. I left the kefir grains + milk in the fridge (instead of at room temperature) for two days and on day three, I let it stand at room temperature and in the afternoon, the kefir was ready.

Once strained, I simply poured the kefir into the bottle with some frozen berries, let stand for an hour and then stored in the fridge.

My kefir grains have grown from one teaspoon to one and a half tablespoons. So this time I used 1500ml of milk.

I don't make milk kefir everyday but on alternate days by leaving the kefir grains + milk in the fridge (after straining) for a day and then bringing the bottle out to ferment the day following.

Sometimes I even leave the bottle in the fridge for two days and then bring out to ferment on day three. When I do this, the fermentation period is much shorter (ie less than 24 hours since some degree of fermentation already takes place in the fridge).

The frozen berries are not sweet (in fact bland) and become mushy in the kefir. The slice of orange that I use becomes bland after a few days (the sugar consumed by the microbes) and I just throw it away.

Girl says hello.

My naughty girl loves to come into the house and lepak2 on the sofa.