LAURA LEE ALICE
COOKS
®
If you like to make bread, and especially if you love to eat it, then this recipe
will be one of your favorites. Only two ingredients make a fabulous bread.
Plus, it has the taste and texture of sourdough.
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Basic components of this recipe:
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• Kefir: This is the main leavening agent, giving the bread it's unique
flavor, texture, and aroma. The kefir contains live bacteria and yeast
that ferment, which helps the dough to rise.
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​• Self-rising flour: Use a really good, organic flour if you can. I like to
use einkorn because of its naturalness and flavor.
I make my own self-rising flour by adding two tablespoons of baking
powder and 2 teaspoons of salt to the four cups of flour required in this
recipe.
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Do not use bleached flour!
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Favorite Things
from
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the Kitchen
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Overview of Kefir Bread:
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• Retains freshness and moisture longer than traditional yeast bread, so a
much longer shelf life.
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• Kefir bread has a firmer texture.
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• It generally has lower acidity (pH) compared to yeast bread,
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• Kefir has antioxidant properties, and these are passed on to the bread.
• It's a source of beneficial bacteria, which can contribute to gut health.
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• Kefir can be used in place of yeast in bread making.
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Ingredients:
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• 2 cups whole milk kefir
• 4 cups all-purpose flour (organic if possible but definitely unbleached)
• 2 Tbsp baking powder (fresh!)
• 2 tsp sea salt
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You will need a large Dutch oven with lid and parchment paper.
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Instructions
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1. In a large mixing bowl (no metal), put in the flour that has been mixed
with the baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in
the kefir. Using your hands (or a wooden spatula) mix the flour and kefir,
bringing the flour in from the sides and mixing. Keep mixing until the
dough is shaggy looking. Don't add additional flour; it should be slightly
wet and sticky.
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2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure it is sealed, place in the
fridge. Leave the dough for 6 to 8 hours to ferment and develop flavor.
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3. Preheat your oven to 450°F about 20 to 30 minutes before baking. Put
the lid on the Dutch oven, place it on a center rack in the oven as it needs
to preheat before adding the bread.
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4. With wet hands, grab the side of the dough, stretch it up about 6 to 8
inches and fold it over the middle of the dough. Repeat seven more times
as you work your way around the dough ball.
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5. On a floured surface, turn the dough out, seam side down. Using your
hands, rotate the ball of dough and drag it towards you on the floured
surface, until you have a tight round ball. Lift the dough ball and place it
in the center of a piece of parchment paper. Score the top if you wish.
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6. Remove the Dutch oven and place it on a heat-proof surface; remove the
lid and set aside. Put 3 to 4 ice cubes in the bottom of the pot, transfer
the dough with the parchment into the pot; replace the lid and put in in the
oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.
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7. Remove from oven, take off lid and return to oven for about15 minutes or
until the bread is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Set
aside to cool: wrap to store.
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