• Olivia   January 4, 2008
  1

  This method was taught to me by my mom and it’s always worked for me.

• Eliza   January 4, 2008
  2

  I assume this works better with higher fat levels in the milk?

• deb   January 4, 2008
  3

  That’s a good question. I always default to whole milk in cooking, however, at the store I buy lowfat buttermilk all the time for baking. (Oddly, the stores around me only sell lowfat, no full fat buttermilk, not that I have ever noticed a difference in the end product.) I suspect you could pull it off with lowfat milk (2%) in a cake, but I don’t think that it would be rich enough for biscuits. I woudn’t use fat-free milk for either–I don’t think it has enough body.

• tlisa   January 4, 2008
  4

  Note to Eliza: Actually, despite the name, buttermilk is only 1% milk fat (I just checked the carton in my fridge), therefore equivalent to 1% milk. According to Epicurious: “Buttermilk of times past was the liquid left after butter was churned. Today it is made commercially by adding special bacteria to nonfat or lowfat milk, giving it a slightly thickened texture and tangy flavor.”

• Anne   January 5, 2008
  5

  1% works fine for making buttermilk for biscuits, my dad taught me how to do it using an old james beard recipe, and 1% is all he keeps in the house

• Mike   January 9, 2008
  6

  It’s all about the tang! I use buttermilk in baking to enhance leavening especially for coffee cakes, corn bread, quick breads, biscuits, pancakes, etc. (I remember reading it has naturally high acidity - like yogurt or sour cream - and will react more vigorously with baking soda & baking powder than less acidic liquids like whole milk). Found it adds a little something to boxed cake mixes (use in place of water or milk). The tang makes for best mashed taters & key to good ranch dressing. Keep powdered buttermilk (just add water or incorporate powder into dry ingredients) in fridge for times when we run out of buttermilk (not often). Vinegar (white or cider) or lemon juice in milk works fine as a sub but remember not to leave it too long otherwise you’ve got cottage cheese & watery whey. For fun diversion see 8 ways to make milk stiff http://www.biotech.wisc.edu/outreach/FunFoodStuff/stiff.html

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