The snow was a bit of a disappointment yesterday but we did get about two inches of snowy slushy snainy rain. Snain is Viv’s new word for snow mixed with rain. I like it! We got snained! And while the wind was blowing the weather in, everyone hunkered down in the barn, like those beautiful tiny strong old ladies who sit with their brown prayers and second-to-best coats at Mass on a weekday morning, tolling their beads. Waiting. Serene.
I was hoping for a more dramatic snow event when I began this series but ah well. Water came out of the sky as ice, rain and snow. But it was warm enough not to be too much of a bother as the snain was melting as fast as it was falling which is great news for the fields.
It was a good day for making bread. Bread made with Kefir will take at least two days to complete. This suits my lifestyle as long as I remember to start the next one when I get the hot one out of the oven. Once a rhythm is established the process manages itself. I find it a relaxed process, if you leave it for an extra hour, one way or the other it seems to work out ok.
No Knead Kefir Bread
Step One: Mix together.
- One cup of active alive kefir
- One cup of bread flour
- One cup of warm filtered water
- One big tablespoon of honey.
Let sit covered in a warm spot for at least 24 hours. Stir two or three times during this period. I have left it up to three days with excellent results. As you can see once again I have written a recipe that I can remember without consulting a piece of paper. Lazy girl.
When it has doubled in size a few times (after the gentle stir) and is nice and fluffy, add –
- 4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup warm water if necessary
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt to taste or not.
You want a tacky elastic mixture. This will not look like a normal bread dough. No need to knead. Allow to rise in a very well oiled bread tin until doubled again, often about three hours.
Cook at 400F for 50 minutes (depending on your oven). This is the easiest bread I have ever made as long as you are happy to let it take its time. It does tend to stick to the sides of the tin though, or possibly I need a new one!! But oil your loaf tin well just in case.
Good morning. The home-schooled children are coming this morning. Hopefully John will be able to get the trailer out to collect a big round bale of grass hay to go down the back for Queenie, The Bobby and Hairy. It will sit on the round concrete pad and we will push it into the corner where three little fields meet, then lock it in with a pig panel to try avoid too much waste. Then Daisy can come over and have a munch as well. The big round bales are very heavy, our tractor cannot carry one, so there is a bit of luck involved when we push it off the trailer and into the corner, if it rolls the wrong way I will have to make a new plan!!
You all have a lovely day. 
See you later in the comments lounge. I learn so much over there, it is thrilling to get so much good advice in the comments. I really mean that.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
123 responses to “How to make No-knead Kefir bread on a Snowy Slushy Snainy day!”
May your hay bales roll in the direction you wish and your bread stick not upon the tin.
The bread looks quite delish although I fear I would wander off into the thick of my life and leave the bread in some sort of sorry unfinished state, forgotten.
Nice looking bread.
I have not made no knead kifer. I will have to try this. Sounds great.
Thankyou for writing this out – I will give it a go once I have the kefir up and bubbling again. There are so many ways to raise bread. I have often used whey or yoghurt in the bread but didn’t think that one could use kefir on its own, very very good looking bread too !! xx Jo
As for that snain… Brrrrr….
So you had a snain event!
Never heard of Kefir bread before…….
I can almost smell that fresh bread all the way out here! Looks good!!
Your frozen land looks like ours yesterday…today…we have sunshine!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
It’s lovely to see life (hay and bread) rolling along. Slight disaster here at the moment, but manageable. I used to make the kind of bread I could only buy in the Czech Republic. Crescent-shaped crusty bread sticks dusted with rock salt and caraway. I think a bit of bread making would help to calm things down.
What a great bread recipe, Celi, and perfect weather to bake it. Is the flavor like that of sourdough? I need to try this.
We got a little bit of everything last night and it’s been snowing intermittently this morning. I cleared the walks last night and they’re relatively clear. With a freezer full of food, I’ll be staying put today. Have a great day, Teach!
I like the textured look of your kefir bread. I hope the hay behaved!
If one could bottle the aroma of baking bread we would dab it behind our ears – or sprinkle it through the house. It would be the most perfect perfume in the world. !!
I love the subtlety of your prose, the unexpected way of description; the brown prayers, tolling, ….
(it’s too early to punctuate)
Oh believe me, it is ALWAYS too early to punctuate c
If my partner wasn’t allergic to milk, I ‘d be starting that bread tonight. Alas, I shall remain kefir-bread-less!
Hello, I am also allergic to milk but, Kefir has so many probiotics that it doesn’t bother me. It has to be unpasteurized grass fed milk though. I started with fresh unpasteurized Goat Milk. Might be worth a try if you are near a farm where you can buy a share of a goat or cow. You can also buy water kefir grains (no dairy).
you are probably allergic to pasteurised milk, pasteurised milk is very hard to digest – i never drink it.. no dairy goats around here.. only corn and beans and a few cows.. i have my own raw milk .. Daisy my milk cow, just about to calve again.. I milk her so we can all have good milk.
So many people talking about kefir states right now – they seem to make wonderful bread. I need to look into this seriously…..Hope the bale moving went well!
A bit of snain makes for some really pretty photos! Your bread looks good too, I haven’t heard of kefir – wonder if we can get it here?