Buttermilk 101 by Bridget

Buttermilk. What is it good for? Absolutely everything! Say it again. (Please excuse my music reference circa 1970.)

Really, though, buttermilk IS good for about everything in the kitchen.

 
 

Where does it come from? Buttermilk is technically the liquid left over when making butter from cream. Fresh buttermilk is extremely perishable, so what you’ll find on the grocery store shelves isn’t exactly traditional buttermilk. Typical grocery store buttermilk is milk that’s been treated with (good) bacteria to thicken and sour it.

You’ll notice buttermilk’s tangy scent and thicker consistency right away.

I find that buttermilk is a flavor enhancer. As pungent as buttermilk smells from the carton, you aren’t hit in the face with that flavor. It’s tangy, but not lemon juice tangy. In addition to enhancing the flavor of whatever you’re making, buttermilk is a tenderizer, too. Yes—tender biscuits, pancakes, even steak!

Let’s talk substitutions. We’ve all seen them, and I’ve used them many times. I’d never tested them, though, side-by-side. Until now. Cue dramatic sound effect: Dun-dun-duuuuuun.

I took my favorite buttermilk pancake recipe and stripped it of vanilla and cinnamon-sugar (and chocolate chips). I even replaced the melted butter I usually use and replaced it with oil just to have a “clean slate” palate-wise.

 
 

These are the pancakes made with buttermilk.

 
 

They’re thick, they’re fluffy. They taste … like pancakes should. There’s no lemony tanginess from the buttermilk, but the pancakes are delicious. Even plain.

 
 

Next up, I tried the lemon juice and milk trick. You measure out 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or vinegar) and add milk to equal 1 cup to replace 1 cup of buttermilk. Let the mixture rest for 5–10 minutes, then use like buttermilk.

 
 

Right away, I noticed that the pancake batter was a lot thinner. The finished pancakes were, too.

 
 

The taste? Meh. These needed major butter/syrup/powdered sugar/chocolate chips to be delicious.

 
 

On to powdered buttermilk. (It’s the key ingredient to Joanne’s Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix.) You can find this in the baking section of your grocery store near the dry and evaporated milk. It’s a little tough to spot since there’s usually only one brand, with this cute little chef guy on the container. Scan the shelves and you’ll find him.

The trick with dry buttermilk is that it gets added with the dry ingredients rather than mixed with liquid. Dry buttermilk is a blend of churned buttermilk, whey, and lactic acid. Whisk it well with the dry ingredients before adding to the batter. The liquid called for when using it is water.

 
 

Again, the batter and the pancakes were noticeably thinner.

 
 

These tasted a bit better to me than the milk/lemon juice combination, but nowhere as good as the buttermilk pancakes.

 
 

So, if you don’t want to keep a supply of fresh buttermilk on hand in case you need it, what’s a girl or a guy to do? Freeze it! When you have leftover buttermilk from a recipe, measure and freeze the remainder. Pour it into freezer-safe plastic bags and pop in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Knead the bag a bit once thawed as the buttermilk tends to separate. Use within about 3 months.

How else can you use buttermilk other than pancakes or biscuits?

 
Salad Dressing

Ree’s Homemade Ranch Dressing will put all other ranch dressings to shame. And Natalie just showed us some great ways to elevate that ranch dressing!

 
Frying

You better believe that the tastiest fried and battered nibbles have been soaked in buttermilk. See: Ree’s Onion Strings.

 
 

Tenderizing

Most people think of buttermilk fried chicken, like the Colonel, but give a buttermilk marinade a try on steak or pork, too. Jessica’s Buttermilk Almond-Crusted Chicken Tenders are definitely worth a try! That crunch!

 
Baking

Just like with the pancakes, buttermilk brings out the best in other ingredients. This simple-to-make cake has buttermilk in the batter and the icing. It’s a new staple in our house, Buttermilk Bundt Cake.

 
Are you already a buttermilk fan? What are your favorite buttermilk recipes?