Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider
Fermented apple cider is the ultimate probiotic soda and is great for entertaining. Wild fermented and full of health benefits, no champagne yeast needed.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple juice fresh pressed or unpasteurized preferred
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup liquid whey or 1/3 cup lacto ferment soda from previous batch
Instructions
- Put whey in a clean large mason jar.
- Add apple juice and water.4 cups apple juice, 1 cup filtered water
- Stir and cover with a piece of cheesecloth anchored with a rubber band.
- Let sit at room temperature for 12-72 hours. The actual amount of time will vary depending on if you're using pasteurized or unpasteurized apple juice, the temperature of your home and the presence of beneficial microbes in the air (Don't worry. This is normal.)
- Once the ferment starts to get foamy, stir and then use a silicone strainer to transfer the mixture to a swing top glass bottle. These are bottles used specifically for fermenting beverages like kefir, sparkling beverages and kombucha at home. At this point you can do a second fermentation, by letting the bottle sit out for another day at room temperature in the swing bottle for more carbonation. You can skip this step if you're happy with the amount of bubbles you have.
- Store in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (overnight preferred), before enjoying.
- I like serving this over a little ice.
Notes
After making this recipe almost everyday for a year, I have come up with some tested, tried and true tips that I think you will appreciate.
When you make lacto ferment apple cider for the first time, you will need some whey. As mentioned before, this whey can come from yogurt or kefir either homemade or store bought. If you don't have liquid whey, I've heard of folks people the juice from fermented pickles to get started.
Make sure any glassware or tools you use are super clean.
For best fermentation results, your home should be between 60°F/16°C to 85°F/29°C. This will result in optimal flavor.
Anything hotter than that and fermentation will occur much more quickly. The flavor of the final product will also be stronger.
When it comes to making fermented foods and beverages at home, you have to use all your senses. Sight, touch, sound, smell and taste will help you determine when the ferment is ready to move to the next step. This is an important aspect as every home is different. How fast my sparkling fermented apple cider ferments in my home will be different than yours.
Look for the presence of foam, bubbles and a pleasant fruity smell to indicate that your apple cider is ready to move from the mason jar to a swing bottle and then on to the fridge for chilling.
While you don't have to, I have found trough trial and error that when you're first starting out, adding a little fresh grated ginger to the whey/juice mixture can help the fermenting along. This is especially true when starting out with pasteurized apple juice.
After each successful fermentation, save a 1/2 cup from the previous bottle to start a new batch (inside of consuming the whole thing). This will be your lacto ferment starter and will help subsequent fermentations to move more quickly and get more flavorful with each batch.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 68kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gSodium: 11mgSugar: 12g
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