How to Make Bokashi Bran (and Turn Food Waste into Living Compost)

At Generation Soil, we work with food waste, compost, and soil as part of a regenerative food system.

One of the simplest ways to start composting at home is through bokashi fermentation. It’s an indoor, odour-free method that uses microbes to begin breaking down food waste before it ever reaches a compost pile.

And once you understand how it works, making your own bokashi bran becomes more than a DIY task. It becomes a way of participating in a local nutrient cycle, where food waste is transformed into living soil.

What Is Bokashi Composting?

Bokashi is a fermentation-based composting method that uses effective microorganisms, primarily lactic acid bacteria (LAB), to break down food waste in an anaerobic (sealed, oxygen-free) environment.

Unlike traditional composting, which relies on oxygen and can take 6–12 months, bokashi:

• works indoors

• produces no strong odours

• accepts all food waste (including meat and dairy)

• speeds up the composting process

Instead of rotting, your food scraps ferment.

This prepares them for faster breakdown once added to soil or a compost system.

How Bokashi Fits into a Regenerative Compost System

Traditional composting often follows a 50:50 mix of greens and browns, layered and turned over time.

It works, but it’s slow.

A regenerative compost system builds on this by introducing microbes earlier in the process:

1. Bokashi fermentation kickstarts decomposition

2. Aerobic composting with structure (e.g. woodchip) continues the process

3. Maturation allows living compost to stabilise and develop

By starting with fermentation, you can reduce composting time from over a year to just a few months.

Why Lactic Acid Bacteria Matter

Lactic acid bacteria are central to the bokashi process.

In practice, they:

• break down organic matter into simpler, plant-available nutrients

• produce organic acids that help improve soil structure

• suppress harmful pathogens

• support beneficial microbial communities in soil

• contribute to plant growth and resilience

You’re not just “speeding up composting”.

You’re introducing soil biology from the very beginning.

How to Make Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB Serum)

Before making bokashi bran, you’ll need a microbial culture.

Step 1: Capture microbes

• Add rice to a jar

• Add non-chlorinated water (rainwater, filtered, or cooled boiled water)

• Shake and leave for 24 hours

Strain and keep the liquid.

Step 2: Ferment

• Leave loosely covered (cloth or muslin) for 3–4 days

• The liquid will develop a slightly sour smell

This indicates microbial activity.

Step 3: Feed the culture

• Mix with milk (approx. 1:10 ratio, though 1:1 also works)

• Leave in a warm place (around 25–30°C) for 24 hours

Curds will form.

Strain them out.

The remaining liquid is your lactic acid bacteria serum.

Storage and uses

Store in the fridge for a few months.

Use for:

• bokashi fermentation

• compost acceleration

• foliar application

• soil biology support

How to Make Bokashi Bran

Bokashi bran is simply a dry material inoculated with beneficial microbes.

You will need:

• wheat bran

• LAB serum

• blackstrap molasses

• a small amount of salt

• water (non-chlorinated)

Method

1. Mix:

   
   

   • ~120ml LAB serum

   • molasses

   • ~2 tsp salt

   • 1 litre water

   
   

2. Add to wheat bran and mix until evenly moist (not soaking)

3. Place in an airtight container

4. Leave to ferment for 2–3 weeks

5. Spread out and dry in the dark for 3–4 days

6. Store in a sealed container

How to Use Bokashi at Home

1. Add a layer of food waste to your bokashi bucket

2. Sprinkle bokashi bran over the top

3. Compress to remove air

4. Repeat in layers

5. Seal the bucket

Once full, leave to ferment before adding to compost or soil.

What Can You Put in Bokashi?

You can include:

• fruit and veg scraps

• cooked food

• meat and fish

• dairy

• bread

• coffee grounds

• eggshells

• flowers

Avoid:

• excess liquids (oil, milk, juice, vinegar)

• large amounts of water

• animal waste

Why Bokashi Matters for Soil Health

Most composting systems focus on breaking material down.

Bokashi focuses on how that process begins.

By introducing microbes early, you:

• accelerate decomposition

• improve compost quality

• increase microbial diversity

• support soil regeneration

This is especially important in urban environments, where soils are often compacted, degraded, or biologically inactive.

A Living System, Not Just a Method

Bokashi is not the end of the process.

It’s the beginning.

It allows food waste to start transforming in the same place it was created, rather than being removed and processed elsewhere.

And that shift matters.

Take Part in Bristol’s Living Compost System

If you’re based in Bristol, you don’t have to do this alone.

Through the Bristol Living Compost Project, we collect food waste locally, process it into living compost, and return it to soil across the city.

It’s a community-scale, regenerative system that keeps nutrients local and builds soil health over time.

👉 You can join here

Whether you’re composting at home or taking part in the wider system, it all contributes to the same loop:

food → microbes → soil → food

Final Thought

Composting doesn’t begin in the pile.

It begins when microbes meet food.

With bokashi, that moment happens in your kitchen.