Yemoos Nourishing Cultures Forum

Hi
I was trying to make a sourdough culture from raw kefir that I acquired. I mixed raw kefir and bread flour and let it sit for a few days in my kitchen.

It didn't get very bubbly, but the top layer turned into what looks like Mother Brain from Metroid (the old NES version). I thought it was an alien invasion, but then I read about kefir grains. Are these what I have grown accidentally? I looked on the web for kefir grain images, but not really look like what I have. However, I have read that grains can change shape and sometime look brainy.

Yikes!
Feedback?

Thanks
@pizzaabbapi

That's really weird, haha. I'm trying to imagine it but can't quite picture what it'd be. As far as I know, no one has been able to 'make' grains - they have been around forever and only replicate themselves. They are very solid, stretchy...like gummy worms. Maybe it's just your dough taking a weird shape dunno!

Greetings,
What you are describing, trust me, are not kefir grains. Scientists since the late 1800's until 2015 have not been successful in creating kefir grains. You are not the first. First of all, I don't know what is the "raw kefir" that you used as a starter. It should have been a quantity of fresh kefir milk produced from fresh kefir grains. Second, when kefir milk is used as a starter mixed with flour, oil, sugar and salt this starts a rising (fermentation) in a matter of hours and not days. What you are seeing might be what is known as the "flowers of kefir'. A safe mold that appeared on your dough when it was placed in an area too hot for proper rising and too much oxygen present. The high oxygen factor could occur if you left your dough to rise uncovered.
At first glance here, it seems your recipe for sourdough bread using the right kefir as a starter is unbalanced or your method for raising a sourdough needs to be reviewed. Try again! A wonderful loaf should be ready to share in under 8 hours!