Hint: It’s not lemon juice and milk.
The answer is maybe, but only in a pinch.
Buttermilk adds more than liquid to a recipe.
Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
It’s brimming with active cultures, similar to the good-for-us probiotics found in natural yogurt and sour cream.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
What Is Buttermilk?
Originally, buttermilk was the liquid by-product from churning butter.
Credit:Fred Hardy II; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Props Stylist: Christina Brockman
That’s bad advice, especially with skim milk and bottled lemon juice.
It’s akin to rice cakes in lieu of hot biscuits, or, yes, water for chocolate.
Dry powdered buttermilk can help with tenderness and browning inbaked goodswhen whisked into the flour.
It can also add tang to a recipe, akin to using a flavoring.
But when reconstituted, it falls short of the real deal.
It’s comparable to instant coffee when you crave a freshly brewed cup.
Remember, buttermilk is already cultured and tangy, so a little age isn’t a deal breaker.
It can also be frozen.
How To Make Buttermilk
But, wait, can a home cook learn how to make buttermilk?
Yes, and it’s easy, requiring little more than cream and a food processor.
But it’s wonderful in most everything else.
