Toasted Rye Bread Kvass with Raisins, Lemon & Mint

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The classic Eastern European bread ferment, made on a kitchen counter in about two days. Dark rye is toasted until it smells like coffee and cocoa, steeped overnight into a deep amber tea, then briefly fermented with a pinch of yeast and a handful of raisins for natural fizz. The result is a barely-sweet, tangy, malty soda — softly carbonated, essentially non-alcoholic, and unbelievably refreshing over ice with lemon and mint.

Ingredients

• 12 oz dark rye or pumpernickel bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups, preferably a day or two stale)
• 10 cups filtered or dechlorinated water
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey

• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 2 tbsp active sourdough starter)
• 1/4 cup raisins, plus 2 or 3 per bottle
• 2 strips lemon zest, peeled wide with a vegetable peeler

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 6 sprigs fresh mint
• ice, for serving
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger (optional, for a spicier ferment)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the rye cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 20 to 30 minutes, tossing once or twice, until the pieces are dry through, deep brown at the edges, and smell strongly of toast and cocoa. A few very dark spots are good; anything black and bitter should be discarded, since burnt bread will make the kvass acrid.
2. Bring 10 cups water to a full boil in a large pot. Turn off the heat, add all the toasted bread, and press it down with a spoon so it soaks. Cover and let steep off the heat at room temperature for at least 4 hours and up to 12 (overnight is easiest). The liquid should be the color of strong iced tea.
3. Strain the infusion through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth into a clean bowl or wide jar, pressing gently on the bread to release liquid but not squeezing hard (hard pressing pushes through sediment and bitterness). Discard the bread. You should have about 8 to 9 cups of rye tea.
4. While the liquid is still warm, whisk in the brown sugar and honey until fully dissolved. Let it cool, uncovered, to between 75°F and 90°F — lukewarm to the touch. Anything hotter will kill the yeast.
5. Stir 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast into 1/4 cup of the warm rye tea in a small cup and let it sit 5 to 10 minutes until it foams slightly, then stir it back into the main batch along with the 1/4 cup raisins and the lemon zest strips. If using sourdough starter instead, whisk it directly in.
6. Transfer everything to a 1-gallon jar or food-safe bucket, leaving at least 2 inches of headspace. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or coffee filter secured with a rubber band — never an airtight lid at this stage. Ferment at 68°F to 74°F for 24 to 36 hours, out of direct sunlight.
7. Check at 24 hours: you want a foamy cap, a bready-tangy aroma, small bubbles rising when you tap the jar, and a taste that is lightly sweet with a clear sour edge. In a warm kitchen this can happen in 20 hours; in a cool one it may take 40. When it tastes good to you, stop — a long ferment builds both sourness and alcohol.
8. Strain out the raisins and zest, stir in the lemon juice and the grated ginger if using, then funnel the kvass into clean swing-top bottles or sturdy screw-top plastic soda bottles, leaving 1 1/2 inches of headspace. Drop 2 or 3 raisins into each bottle to feed a little extra carbonation.
9. Seal and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours to build fizz, burping each bottle once after about 12 hours to release pressure. If you used a plastic bottle as a gauge, it should feel rock-firm when squeezed — that is your signal to refrigerate everything.
10. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, and preferably overnight, to halt fermentation and settle the sediment. Open cold bottles slowly over the sink. Serve poured over ice with a sprig of mint and a lemon wedge, leaving the last cloudy inch behind in the bottle.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem