Amazake has a creamy, thick consistency with a naturally sweet flavor. It can be served either chilled or hot. This is a great recipe to try when you're just getting started with koji because it shows off its magical powers in under 12 hours!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups freshly cooked brown rice
1 cup rice koji
TOOLS
Thermometer
Rice Cooker or Incubation chamber (like our Brød & Taylor Proofer) to maintain temperature between 120 F - 140 F.
Allow your freshly cooked brown rice to cool to 140 F. Stir in the rice koji, making sure to mix until well combined. Incubate between 120 - 140 F (using our Brød and Taylor proofer we recommend 120 F on the proofer setting). Stir the amazake mixture every couple of hours and start tasting it around 6 hours. With fresh koji and warmer temperatures, it will ferment faster and can take as little as 6 hours or up to 10 hours. Continue tasting the amazake and remove it from heat once it's reached your desired level of sweetness and the texture has started to liquify.
We prefer to keep the amazake un-pasteurized in the fridge where it will last for 1-2 months, but if you'd like it to last longer you can heat it in a saucepan and simmer for 3-5 minutes to pasteurize it.
USE
Try blending the finished amazake with water for a sweetened milk alternative or using it in as a sweetener replacement in baked goods. The general rule of thumb is to use 1/4 cup of thick amazake for each tablespoon of sweetener in the recipe. If you are replacing a dried sweetener like cane sugar, don't forget to remove about 3 tablespoons of liquid from the recipe to account for the extra moisture.
Recipe and photos by Julia Street.
