Today, we are starting something new at the Gale Estates - home made kefir. I have loved kefit for as long as I can remember. I decided it is time to make my own and document the process.
The process and the details
I have always loved this soecific brand of kefir - Lifeway kefir - so I decided to figure out how to make my own.
Did a little bit of research and came across these starter grains from 'Cultures for Health'. Sounds like once I get this started, I should be able to make about a cup of kefir every 24 hours, for as long as I keep the grains fed and alive.
Wife checks on progress about 18 hours later
It does not look like much is happening yet... Hmmm...
Making real progress now
After adding half a cup more of milk every 18/24 hours, which in our case meant twice, we finally have something that had the consistency of kefir. I strained the grains and what I was left with looks good. It doesn't yet have the full sourness I am after, but it is getting there, I can tell.
Success!
Last night around 11pm, the kefir had the right texture but wasn’t at the right sourness yet. I had a gut feeling that it would need a couple more hours but not as long as a full night. So I put it in the fridge and took it out this morning at 8am. Left it on the counter until 1pm. I am happy with the result.
Straining the kefir for bottling and refrigerating.
The first bottle of good tasting kefir is in! It now has the right texture and sourness. I’ll be ok with even a little more sourness, so I will fine tune further in the next batch.
Fine tuning phase started
Now I am playing around and experimenting with milk quantities and with the fermentation time. I feel like I am 97.5% there. 3 cups of milk and 20 hours of continuous fermentation. I ended up with the right texture and sourness. I’d like a little more tang so I started another batch and will see about increasing the fermentation time to 20+ hours.
The consistency and texture is just right now.
Straining it to catch any grains that are floating.
The bulk of the grains are at the bottom of the jar. It might not be the most visually attractive sight to some, but it smells good and it is alive and well. What more can one hope for.
Here is one little grain saved and added back to the main jar.
The final product. I set one more batch so I can get this bottle filled and then will take a break, until this is consumed.
| Starter Grains | Culture for Health |
| Target end result | Unflavored fresh kefir |
5PM, right before the 2026 Superbowl.
6am. Doesn't look like.mich has happened.
5pm. The grains are now active but they need a little more time to balance and mature.
9am. The 1.5 cups of milk has turned into kefir. Strained grains and replaced with 2 cups of fresh milk.
I moved it to the fridge so I can slow down the fermentation and keep a closer eye on it the following day. The texture was just right, but it wasn’t sour enough.
8am. I took it out of the fridge to keep an eye on it and taste it regularly.
At 2pm, I decided it is good as is. Right texture, good amount of sourness. I strained it and bottled it for refrigeration.
11am. After 20 hours of continuous fermentation, 3 cups of milk - I believe I arrived at the right flavor and texture.