Creme Fraiche acidified w/ rejuvelac

Beer brewers around the world constantly wrestle with a substance known as diacetyl, a compound naturally occuring during the fermentation process of wort. Producing a buttery flavor not unlike buttered popcorn, diacetyl is considered an off-flavor in many beer styles, so much so that some will go through a “diacetyl rest” where the brewer raises the temperature of the wort to allow the yeast to re-absorb the diacetyl it produced. Ironically, we are very interested in the intentional production of diacetyl here in the lab, especially when it pertains to dairy. For years, we’ve experimented with cream and butter, trying to optimize the natural production of diacetyl to create the “butteriest” of butters. Conventional crème fraîche is made by adding lemon juice or buttermilk to heavy cream and allowing it ferment and thicken. We had the idea to use rejuvelac to provide the acidity and bacterial cultures to initiate the fermentation process. Rejuvelac is a Lithuanian beverage, produced by sprouting grains and fermenting them in water. It is revered for its dense population of probiotics and valued as a health tonic. For us, we’re most interested in the beverage’s penchant for producing large levels of diacetyl. Once fermented, rejuvelac is a light, mildly effervescent beverage, often with a slight citrus flavor with a buttery/cheesy aroma, owing to the aerobic fermentation of sprouted grains. For our trial, we made rejuvelac with Danish Øland wheat and pitched it into some heavy cream. The cream was set aside to ferment at room temperature for two days. The resulting crème fraîche was a revelation; buttery, rich, smelling reminiscent of aged cheese, and so heavy in diacetyl that we had to dial back the fermentation time to just over one day because the buttery-ness was overpowering whatever we were tasting with it. We were shocked at how fortified the flavor of butter was when the cream was fermented with rejuvelac rather than lemon juice or buttermilk.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Use a quart jar or other sprouting container to sprout the wheat berries using this basic method until just the tail appears, approximately 2-3 days.

Step 2

Place the sprouted wheat berries and the filtered water in a jar.

Step 3

Leave in a warm place for 24-48 hours. The liquid should get a little fizzy and turn cloudy. The liquid should taste clean and fresh with a hint of citrus.

Step 4

Pour off the liquid to save and place in the refrigerator. It will keep up to a week.

Step 5

Then, make creme fraiche with the rejuvelac as the acidifier.