Buttermilk, why to use it, alternatives and how to make your own!

Buttermilk substitute! just milk and a bit of lemon juice

There are a host of benefits to consuming cultured sour milk products which, in addition to the calcium and protein they contain (I know, the big dairy debate) also contain probiotics.  Products such as kefir and yoghurt and buttermilk have a host of very practical uses in the kitchen too.  Firstly – being sour – they tend to keep well and so make a fabulously dependable standby to keep in the door of your fridge.  I have been known to use the same carton of mine for a shameless 3 weeks from opening and live to tell the tale.

This Annie Taintor magnet is on my fridge – and about sums up my world view based on an upbringing at the hands of parents who are the products of WWII.

but are also tasty consumed on their own.  They can also be lightly dressed up with a natural sweetner such as honey or chopped fruit as a drink, used in smoothies or morphed in to a delicious savoury base for dressings (coleslaw, potato salad, lettuces).  From a culinary and technical standpoint, they also have a very useful attribute in that they have a wonderfully tenderizing effect on baked goods and in meat-preparation.  I have used buttermilk for coating meat before dredging and frying and it makes it quite succulent.

I make U.S style breakfast pancakes, occasionally waffles and very often my veggie pancakes and the basic batter recipe for these being the same, the key to making all these turn out well (ie. fluffy, light, tender) is to not over mix (a few lumps are fine), and to use a soured dairy product (or soy substitute) for the binding mixture.  Kefir, yogurt (if thick this can be thinned with water), soured cream and smetana all work well.  Yoghurt is great for flavour  and any dairy product with a boost of acidity will do the trick (milk, cream) but buttermilk is subtler and runnier than most yogurts and therefore often more suitable for combining with flour. You can buy it as it is from most good supermarkets or, here comes the interesting bit, make your own, by a very simple form of chemical mimicry.  It is ultra useful when for example you only need a small amount for a recipe and don’t want to buy a whole carton, or if you don’t have any at home and need to rustle up something similar…

You can use whole milk and add some lemon or white vinegar and even if this mixture won’t be as viscous and unctious as buttermilk, it will mix in to batter beautifully.      You can also thin regular thick yogurt with a little water until it is the consistency of a smoothie, Yogurt: Mix 3/4 cup plain yogurt with 1/4 cup water to thin. Use as you would buttermilk.

This “recipe” makes about 1 cup (c. 250ml).

Homemade buttermilk substitute

September 22, 2015

by natalie

Category Recipe Vault Recipes Tips, Tricks and shortcuts

For thicker buttermilk you can use cream and add lemon or vinegar to it, or Apparently even 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar. My favourite is lemon. Let whatever mixture you make curdle stand 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened and "split". Generally though, I find that whole, full fat milk is ideal for making a drinking yogurt consistency buttermilk sub.
If you are dairy-free you can also make it with soya milk!

Prep Time

2 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (approx 250ml) milk, preferably whole, or even single cream
• 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar (lemon has a great flavour, I have even used lime juice which is wonderfully fresh and aromatic)

Instructions

1. Simply squeeze the lemon / lime juice, strain / remove excess pulp and all seeds.
2. Pour in to milk / cream and let stand and curdle for a few minutes. Ideally the buttermilk should be at room temperature for optimum cooking results.
3. You will know the buttermilking effect has taken place as you will be able to identify small curdles and a thicker consistency upon stirring.
4. Voila'

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