Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:12 pm
First, Welcome-
Second- DO NOT use regular bread yeast. It will taste like shit.
You want a yeast strain that will produce good flavors, and bread yeast does not.
I would suggest you go to your Local HomeBrew Shop (LHBS) and talk with the guy there.
They are a wealth of information and can recommend things that they have in stock (we can recommend stuff but it may or may not be available for you to buy immediately).
I've brewed a couple ciders but I nearly only make beers. There are a lot of other guys on this site that make cider and wine all the time. I'll still give you my suggestions, but others may offer variants. That's cool. There are a million ways to make these things and it's always good to hear about the variations.
I'm not exactly sure what you are asking about as far as suggested amounts. Are you asking about ratios?
I'd take the juices and get a (small) glass. Try a few glasses using various ratios, like 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, etc (both ways). The mix that suits your tastebuds best as a juice drink is what you should go with for a first try.
You can then adjust up or down by back sweetening with either one or the other to compensate - if it tastes too appley post ferment, backsweeten with more currant juice. If the currants are too dominant, use apple juice.
Of course, take notes listing exactly what you did so you can further alter the recipe for subsequent batches, until you zero in on the perfect combo.
Blueberries are also great in a fermented beverage. In beers, we often go at the rate of about a lb per gallon (ie, 5 lbs in 5 gallons). Typically, we'd freeze the berries. This pops the membranes when they melt and makes the fruit softer and more permeable. I'd typically ferment my beer out then transfer it by siphon (called racking) into a second fermenter, onto the berries. The siphoning action will cause a swirling action in the 2nd vessel and that helps to mix things up (same as when mixing priming sugar before bottling). Doing a cider is only different in that you start with apple juice instead of grains. You won't have to stir it in, which means minimal chance of contamination.
There will be plenty of yeast in suspension for the cider to kick back off. They'll go nuts and you'll have another vigorous fermentation. Once all is done, proceed with packaging as you normall would.
Ask away if you have any questions whatsoever. We're here to help.
HTH-
-B'Dawg
BJCP GM3 Judge & Mead
"Lunch Meat. It's an acquired taste....." -- Mylo