Truth About Buttermilk - What Is It? How To Substitute?
It would seem that Buttermilk is one of those kitchen ingredients that no-one really understands… and many ‘Internet Chef’s’ seem to think it is just acidic milk that can replaced easily with a mixture of milk and vinegar.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
O.G. Buttermilk, or true buttermilk, or the liquid whey leftover from actually making butter - is not what we are talking about. (pretty much nobody in North America has access to O.G. Buttermilk) What we are talking about is the ‘Cultured’ or Fermented Buttermilk that’s on every supermarket shelf in North America. It is a thick, tangy, bacteria fermented milk product that has nothing to do with butter production. At all.

Our Buttermilk Recipe Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgOb3zseg1hQFbI3D4mGh8OIxcpZmZMLo

*Most* if not all experts (I use that term with a sneer of derision) will tell you that you can ‘make’ buttermilk at home by adding lemon juice, or vinegar, or cream of tartar to milk. This is at best - misleading. Yes it will acidify the milk, and thicken it somewhat; but you’ll never ever reach the thickness of cultured buttermilk. Nor will you get the rich subtle flavours that a cultured fermented product will give. Instead you get a harsh stinging acidity, that is more acidic than buttermilk, which will curtail browning fo your baked goods.

This lack of thickness will also affect the end result of your baked goods - they will be denser and flatter than if you used the real thing.

As for using the acid in milk substitute for fried chicken marinades - forget about it! Please just buy some buttermilk!

Which brings us to viable buttermilk substitutes…

In a pinch; plain yogourt mixed into milk (1 part yogourt, 3 parts milk), will give you the right acidity and complex flavour. So your baked goods will shape and brown as you expect; but you’ll lose a little bit of texture.

Our favourite substitute is Kefir. This is cultured or fermented milk (sound familiar); that has a combination of bacteria (like buttermilk) and yeast (unlike buttermilk). The flavour is much more complex, but it has a very similar thickness and acidity. It actually makes every Buttermilk recipe we’ve ever tried - better!


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