Museum Beermalt and sourdough: cooking with fermented drinks

An independent cooking reference. Not a museum, brewery or shop, and not linked to the former website on this domain. Dishes and drinks containing alcohol are for adults only.

Ingredients

Ingredients

The cuisine of fermentation rests on a few humble products. Grain becomes malt, bread becomes rusks, flour and water become a sourdough starter. Below is how to choose each of them, how to store it and where to use it.

Malt and rusks fear damp more than time: in a dry, closed jar they keep for a long time, in a humid cupboard they spoil within weeks.

— Editor's note

How this section works: each product is described from three angles (choosing, storing and using) without naming producers or brands.

Grain and malt

Malt is sprouted and dried grain, most often barley or rye.

  • Fermented rye malt

    How to choose
    A dark brown powder with a strong bready smell, dry and free-flowing, with no lumps or mustiness.
    How to store
    In a tightly closed glass jar in a dry, dark cupboard; a wet spoon in the jar is the main cause of mould.
    Where to use it
    Scalded and dark rye breads, kvass, spiced honey cakes, gravies for meat. It is usually scalded with boiling water before mixing into dough.

  • Unfermented rye malt

    How to choose
    Pale, almost the colour of flour, with a sweetish grain smell. It should not have a dark tint.
    How to store
    The same as dark malt: dry, dark and in a closed container, away from strong-smelling spices.
    Where to use it
    Light breads and porridges where you want gentle sweetness without colour or bitterness.

  • Barley malt

    How to choose
    Whole grains or flour of even colour, crisp, without dust or off smells.
    How to store
    Whole grain keeps longer than ground; use ground malt within a few months.
    Where to use it
    Unfermented malt drinks, porridges, baking, homemade malt syrup for dough.

  • Hops

    How to choose
    Dried cones of greenish-yellow colour, springy, with a grassy, resinous smell. Brown, crumbling cones have already lost their aroma.
    How to store
    In an airtight bag in the freezer or fridge, away from light.
    Where to use it
    In the kitchen, a pinch goes into bread starter in some old recipes. Hops (Humulus lupulus) give bitterness and aroma, so you need very little.

Bread and fermentation

The products that kvass, sour bread and sourdough starter depend on.

  • Rye bread and rusks

    How to choose
    For kvass, use dense rye bread without additives or seeds; caraway and coriander are fine if you like their note.
    How to store
    Keep finished rusks in a linen bag or a lidded jar in a dry place.
    Where to use it
    Bread kvass, breadcrumbs, a thickener for gravies and braised cabbage.

  • Rye sourdough starter

    How to choose
    An active starter smells of sour milk with a slightly fruity note, and rises and fills with bubbles after feeding.
    How to store
    In the fridge in a jar with a loose lid; feed it with flour and water once a week or before baking.
    Where to use it
    Rye and mixed-grain bread, sourdough kvass, pancakes made from starter discard.

  • Yeast

    How to choose
    Dried: in an intact packet with a clear use-by date; fresh: pale, crumbly, with no dark spots.
    How to store
    Opened dried yeast in a closed jar in the fridge; fresh yeast in the fridge and only briefly.
    Where to use it
    Quick rusk kvass, rye and wheat baking when you have no starter to hand.
  • Recipes

    Kvass okroshka, rye bread with malt and beef braised in beer, with an alcohol-free alternative.

  • Techniques

    Scalding malt, rye starter, fermenting kvass, batter and braising, with safety notes.

  • Drinks

    Bread kvass, mors, sbiten and alcohol-free malt drinks; beer only as a pairing with food.

  • Tips

    Short practical tips on sourdough, kvass and baking, plus our article catalogue.

  • Questions

    Answers to questions about kvass, malt, sourdough and how to cook dishes with beer safely.

  • Taste exhibit (in Russian)

    A short historical essay on kvass, malt, hops and beer as an ingredient in different cuisines.

What we rely on

  • cookery reference books and traditional Russian recipes
  • GOST 31494-2012 (kvass)
  • GOST 31711-2012 (beer)

Fermentation and baking times in the recipes are approximate: they depend on your kitchen temperature, the flour, the rusks and how active the starter is. Go by taste, smell and look, not just the clock.