How does Milk Kefir Leaven Dough?

What is Milk Kefir to Leaven Dough

Milk kefir is basically fermented milk, a process which is done using a starter or grains which are a mix of yeast and bacteria. They feast on the lactose (milk sugar) giving you a delightful, tangy, slightly thick dairy drink which is very easy to digest and tastes delightful.

Kefir contains around thirty strains of beneficial yeasts and bacteria. To make kefir, obtain some kefir grains and place them in milk. They look like gelatinous globs which resemble cauliflower.  Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organisms.

Kefir grains and milk are fermented either for about a day or longer, at room temperature.  When the milk kefir grains grow, there can be more milk kefir produced.  When I started making milk kefir a little about a month and half ago, my milk didn’t ferment nearly as quickly. Now since my milk kefir grains are bigger, the milk can ferment overnight enough to have milk kefir ready in the morning.  This is all done at room temperature. The milk kefir is fermented overnight at room temperatures.
Kefir grains grow, as can be seen in the pictures below.

I started by feeding my kefir grains raw cow milk, but since have converted to regular whole milk.

I can either use the milk Kefir directly or make a polish with the milk Kefir to leaven dough.  It takes longer for either milk Kefir or a milk Kefir polish to leaven dough, than ICY, ADD, “wild yeasts”, or other starters.  I could let the dough room temperature ferment for a longer period of time, and might do that later to see what happens.  The journey will continue.............................

Norma