Already 6000 BC man used fermentation to keep vegetables, meat and fish durable. Thus fermentation is one of the most ancient methods of conservation without using external energy.
If you leave food for a while it changes its smell, structure and taste – microbes tamper it and normally it perishes. Fermentation is the regulation of this process in a controlled manner. Bacteria or fungi, so called "good organisms", decompose food into its parts as nutrients.
During the fermentation process food changes its taste in a positive way. Not only new and complex flavours are developed, but food also becomes more digestible. Well known fermented food products are sauerkraut, marinated salmon, yoghurt, coffee, tea, beer and the Corean traditional dish kimchi.
Today we rediscover native methods, appreciate homemade food and try to find a new variety of taste. Moreover fermentation is sustainable and resource-saving as it works in an absolutely natural manner without any external energy like cooling or heating.
The fermentation starter kits are conceived to discover and try this old method to prepare food in a tasty and healthy way. The Weck set contains a 1590 ml (56.0 fl.oz) cylindrical jar, a 100 mm glass lid, a rubber ring, two Weck clamps, a silicone lid as alternative closure and a 60 mm Weck glass lid to weight the filling goods.
The Le Parfait sets (Super Terrine 750 ml/26.4 fl.oz and Super Terrine 1000 ml/35.2 fl.oz) contain a fired claystone to weight the filling goods.
Beyond that all sets include a booklet with useful tips, ideas and recipes developed by the famous international star chef Heiko Antoniewcz.
Question: What is the most important tip for beginners when it comes to fermentation?
Answer: Pay attention to the amount of salt, hygiene and temperature. Start with simple recipes such as cabbage or carrots to get off to a safe start.
Question: Why is hygiene so crucial when fermenting?
Answer: Hygiene is essential when fermenting. Clean jars and lids, sterilised in boiling water (for approx. 10 minutes), prevent unwanted bacteria and mould. This is the only way to ensure that lactic acid bacteria can develop optimally and guarantee safe fermentation.
Question: How much salt do you need for fermentation?
Answer: The ideal salt concentration is between 1.5% and 3% of the total weight. It protects against harmful microorganisms, draws out water and supports lactic acid fermentation. Too little salt encourages spoilage, too much inhibits the process. It is best to use untreated sea salt or rock salt without iodine or anti-caking agents.
Question: Should the fermentation jar be open or closed?
Answer: The jar should be sealed airtight. Ideally, use a fermentation lid or open it briefly every 2 days to allow any gases to escape.
Question: What is the ideal temperature for fermentation?
Answer: The optimal range is 18 °C to 22 °C. Lactic acid bacteria work most effectively within this range. Low temperatures slow down the process, whilst high temperatures can encourage off-flavours.
Question: Should fermented products be stored in the dark?
Answer: Fermented products should be kept in the dark or away from direct light. Direct sunlight can disrupt fermentation and affect quality.
Question: How can you tell the difference between yeast film and mould?
Answer: Yeast film is a whitish, thin film and is usually harmless – it can be removed. Mould is fuzzy, often green, blue or black, smells musty and is harmful to health. In this case, discard the ferment.
Question: What are good and bad organisms in fermentation?
Answer: Good organisms are lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria. Bad ones include non-fermenters such as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Stenotrophomonas and Acinetobacter. Pathogenic germs that can cause illness or food poisoning are dangerous.
Layer the chopped vegetables in a jar (e.g. a Weck jar, a Fido jar or a Le Parfait jar with a wire clip) for fermentation.
Make the brine: bring 20 g of sea salt per litre of water to the boil, then cover the vegetables completely with the brine. Weigh down the contents with either a fermentation stone or a Weck jar lid, i.e. keep them ‘under water’. Close the jar. Use a lid either with or without a rubber ring, or a silicone lid. Vent the jars every two days.
Leave to stand at room temperature for three to four days to allow lactic acid fermentation to begin. After that, it can be kept in a cooler place (up to 15°C).
Leave to ferment for at least three weeks.
Start: Place 50 g rye flour + 50 g water in the jar and stir; cover with a cloth or loose lid and leave to stand for 24 hours.
Subsequent days: Add 50 g rye flour + 50 g water every day until, after about 5–7 days, the starter is active enough for baking (bubble formation, increase in volume).
Extra tip: Mark the level of the starter mixture with a rubber band to make the growth visible.
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Days 1–4
In a large glass, mix 50 g of flour (preferably wholemeal and freshly ground, as this works best) with 50 ml of lukewarm water until a sticky dough forms. Leave this dough to rest for 24 hours in a warm place (between 24 °C and 30 °C).
Day 5
The time has come! From now on, the dough is a proper sourdough and can be baked into bread. The sourdough may take a little longer, so don’t despair if it’s not ready until day 6 or 7.
Important: Before using it further, take 100 g of the dough and place it in a screw-top jar, which should be kept in the fridge as a starter for the new sourdough. The sourdough will keep for 7 to 14 days before it needs to be fed again. Do not seal the jar tightly, as the sourdough produces gas. For the next batch of sourdough, start again on day 2 using the starter from the fridge.
Baking bread - Prepare the pre-dough the evening before
25 g active sourdough starter / 250 g wholemeal rye flour / 250 g lukewarm water
Knead into a dough, cover and leave to stand at room temperature for approx. 10 hours until the sourdough forms bubbles again and has almost doubled in size.
Prepare the dough on baking day and bake
140 g lukewarm water / 250 g rye flour (type 1150) (or, better still, wholemeal rye flour)
12 g fine sea salt (if you like, you can also add 4 g bread spice) / dough from the previous evening
Knead the rye flour, salt, lukewarm water (it is best not to add all the water at once to avoid the dough becoming too sticky; if it is too firm, add more water) together with the dough from the previous day. Shape the dough into a round loaf by folding the outer edges inwards. Leave the loaf to rest for a further 2 hours in a proving basket (or sieve + linen cloth) until it has increased significantly in size. Preheat the oven to 230 °C. Then place the dough in the container of your choice, e.g. a glass dish, cast-iron pot or roasting tin, and bake at 230 °C (top and bottom heat) with the lid on for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200 °C, remove the lid and finish baking for 45 minutes.
TIP: Place an ovenproof dish filled with water at the bottom of the oven to create steam! Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
Fermentation is one of the most sustainable methods of conserving food, especially if you use seasonal food. You can reproduce easily the following recipes for the fermentation of vegetables.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Peel kohlrabi and cut into thin slices, blanch, and refresh in ice water. Dissolve sugar and salt in blanch water and add vinegar. Stack kohlrabis in a jar and cover the prepared liquid. Let rest for four days at room temperature, then ferment for three weeks in the fridge.
