Buttermilk. It instantly brings visions of hot, fluffy pancakes and fresh-baked biscuits to mind. People love to cook with buttermilk, as it enhances almost any dish with its tangy taste. However, many people aren’t aware that the buttermilk they purchase in the grocery store is a processed version of the real stuff.
Making your own buttermilk is easier than you think. Real buttermilk is a by-product that comes from the butter-making process. However, these days people use the term buttermilk for cultured milk.
There is nothing like traditional buttermilk, so I advise you to buy a butter churn and start making your own! You can’t beat authentic buttermilk biscuits…
However, culturing your own buttermilk is very simple. Below are three common methods for making buttermilk.
1. Use a reusable cultured buttermilk starter. Heirloom starters are the starter cultures that live forever. You take a little amount from each batch and use it to make the next batch. This is the most economical way to make buttermilk
2. Use a direct-set buttermilk starter. Unlike the heirloom variety, these cultures are one-time use. Follow the instructions on the starter packet.
3. Use fresh raw milk and time. Pour 1 cup of fresh raw milk into a jar and seal it. Let it sit at room temperature until it has clabbered (approximately 2-3 days). Take 1/4 cup of the clabbered milk and pour into a second jar. Add 1 cup of fresh milk (can be raw or pasteurized) to the 1/4 cup of clabbered milk. Seal and shake jar to mix. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for another day or so until clabbered. Repeat this two-step process several times until the milk clabbers within 24 hours. When ready, the thickened cultured buttermilk should coat your glass. Be sure to refrigerate once it is cultured. To change the quantity, use a 1:3 ratio.
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FAQs
For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need.
What can I use if I don't have buttermilk? ›
The simplest way to substitute buttermilk is to pour 1 Tbs. of vinegar into a 1 cup measurer and then fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Then gently stir the mixture and let it sit for about 5 minutes. If you don't have vinegar, lemon juice and cream of tarter also work as great buttermilk substitutions.
What is the formula of buttermilk? ›
1/2 cup buttermilk = 1/2 cup milk + 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar. 2/3 cup buttermilk = 2/3 cup milk + 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar.
Can you use regular milk to make buttermilk? ›
It's important to know that you can't simply use regular milk as a buttermilk substitute. This is especially true in baking since buttermilk's acidity works with the baking soda in the recipe to leaven. Here are some buttermilk replacements when you're in a pinch.
Is lemon or vinegar better for buttermilk? ›
This quick and easy buttermilk substitute is incredibly simple, and my hope is that you have what you need at home already. Here's what you need: Lemon juice OR vinegar. Fresh or bottled lemon juice OR distilled white vinegar will work equally well.
Is homemade buttermilk as good as the real thing? ›
Store-bought buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic than traditional or homemade buttermilk. If you're preparing a recipe that calls for buttermilk, it's best to stick with store-bought, especially in baked goods that depend on precise leavening.
Can I use apple cider vinegar to make buttermilk? ›
You can make homemade buttermilk with 1 cup of milk and 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Simply stir the two ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes. The milk will react with the acidity of the vinegar and curdle slightly, creating the same, tangy, creaminess of store bought buttermilk!
How did they make buttermilk in the old days? ›
Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in Western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most modern buttermilk in Western countries is cultured separately.
What are the two types of buttermilk? ›
There are two types of buttermilk: sweet cream buttermilk which is produced by treating the pasteurised cream with butter starter cultures after separation of the butterfat to yield so-called 'fermented buttermilk', and sour cream buttermilk which is prepared by a procedure in which the fermentation is done before ...
Can I use sour cream instead of buttermilk? ›
Yes, you can substitute sour cream! Thin it with milk or water to get the right consistency. For each cup of buttermilk needed, use 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup liquid. Editor's Tip: Sour cream has a higher fat content, so this will result in richer-tasting foods.
For that matter, neither home-soured nor commercially soured milk is “real” buttermilk. As Sandor Katz explains in The Art of Fermentation, true buttermilk is a by-product of the butter-making process.
Can I use evaporated milk instead of buttermilk? ›
Yes, but if you want the sour taste of the buttermilk, and don't have any on hand, try putting about a Tblsp vinegar or lemon juice in a cup of milk, and let it sit a couple of minutes.
Can I use baking soda instead of buttermilk? ›
While the baking soda in your baked goods will react with both types of acid, the flavor simply won't be the same. So, when buttermilk is called for, especially in baking recipes, you're better off throwing on some sneakers and making the extra trip to the store.
Is homemade buttermilk good for you? ›
Buttermilk is an excellent source of calcium. Your bones, teeth, and blood all include significant amounts of calcium, making it the most common mineral in your body. Calcium is not only important to your body's bone structures, but also critical to maintaining signaling systems in your blood.
What is the difference between whole milk and buttermilk? ›
Buttermilk is low in fat and contains more protein per cup than milk. It's also lower in calories than milk and high in calcium, vitamin B12, and potassium. And because it contains live cultures (similar to yogurt), it's more easily digestible than milk.
