Buttermilk, a seemingly simple ingredient, often sparks curiosity in the world of baking. You might have stumbled upon recipes calling for it and wondered, “What Is Buttermilk exactly?” and perhaps even considered skipping it or using a substitute. Buttermilk is more than just a dairy product; it’s a powerhouse ingredient that can transform your baked goods, adding a unique tang and tenderness that’s hard to replicate.
Let’s dive deep into understanding buttermilk, from its traditional roots to its modern production, and explore why it’s a prized ingredient for bakers. We’ll also put common buttermilk substitutes to the test to see how they stack up against the real deal.
The Essence of Buttermilk: More Than Just Butter’s Leftovers
Essentially, buttermilk is fermented milk. To understand what it is today, it’s helpful to look back at its origins. Historically, buttermilk was indeed the liquid byproduct of churning cream into butter. In the days of home butter making, after the cream was churned and the butter solids were removed, the remaining liquid was left to sit, often overnight, at room temperature. This allowed naturally occurring bacteria to ferment the lactose (milk sugar) in the liquid, producing lactic acid. This fermentation process gave the buttermilk its characteristic tangy flavor and slightly thickened texture.
However, the buttermilk we commonly find in grocery stores today is produced differently. Modern buttermilk is made through a controlled culturing process. Lactic acid-producing bacteria, specifically Streptococcus lactis, are added to milk, usually low-fat or skim milk. This mixture is then incubated under controlled temperature to allow the bacteria to ferment the milk and produce lactic acid. This process mimics the natural fermentation of traditional buttermilk, but in a more consistent and predictable way.
The magic of buttermilk lies in the lactic acid. This acid lowers the pH of the milk, which affects the casein proteins. These proteins, responsible for milk’s structure, become partially denatured by the acid. This prevents them from binding together as tightly as they would in regular milk, resulting in buttermilk’s signature thicker texture.
Buttermilk is prized in baking not just for its texture but also for its unique flavor. The slight tanginess it imparts adds a depth of flavor to baked goods that balances sweetness and richness. Beyond flavor, buttermilk plays a crucial role in tenderizing and leavening certain baked goods. The acidity reacts with baking soda, a common leavening agent, to produce carbon dioxide gas, contributing to a lighter and airier texture in cakes, biscuits, pancakes, and more.
Buttermilk Substitutes: Testing the Alternatives
One of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to baking with buttermilk is about substitutions. It’s understandable; not everyone keeps buttermilk on hand regularly. A quick trip to the store for a single ingredient can be inconvenient. However, as with many baking ingredients, even small changes can significantly impact the final outcome. To address this, we decided to rigorously test the most common buttermilk substitutes to see how they truly compare.
Our experiment focused on buttermilk biscuits, a classic recipe where buttermilk’s qualities truly shine. Using a consistent biscuit recipe as a base, we replaced the buttermilk with various suggested substitutes, keeping all other factors constant. This side-by-side comparison allows for a clear evaluation of each substitute’s performance in terms of taste and texture.
The Control: Real Buttermilk
1 cup store-bought buttermilk
As a benchmark, we started with biscuits made using store-bought buttermilk. These control biscuits were exactly as expected – a testament to why buttermilk is so beloved in baking. They exhibited a delightful tanginess, a rich buttery flavor, and stood tall with appealingly craggy tops. The crumb was coarse and open, characteristic of traditional buttermilk biscuits. This batch perfectly highlighted the qualities we aim for when using buttermilk.
DIY Buttermilk: Milk and Vinegar
1 scant cup whole milk + 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
A common DIY buttermilk method involves combining milk with an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice. For this test, we used whole milk and distilled white vinegar, letting the mixture sit for 5 minutes to curdle before incorporating it into the dough. Visually, the mixture was thinner than real buttermilk, and the resulting dough was noticeably wetter and stickier, making it slightly more challenging to handle.
While the baked biscuits browned nicely, the taste test revealed a significant difference. The DIY buttermilk biscuits lacked the nuanced tang of the control batch, instead presenting a sharper, more straightforward sourness. The crumb was also finer, resembling the texture of store-bought or fast-food biscuits, a departure from the desired coarse crumb of traditional buttermilk biscuits.
Buttermilk Powder: Convenience vs. Flavor
1 cup water + 4 tablespoons buttermilk powder
Buttermilk powder offers a shelf-stable alternative, seemingly convenient for those who don’t use buttermilk often. We used Saco brand cultured buttermilk powder, following the package instructions to reconstitute it with water and adding the powder to the dry ingredients.
The biscuits made with buttermilk powder presented a flavor profile that was strangely sour, lacking the pleasant tang of real buttermilk. They also baked up flatter than all other batches. Considering that the powder needs refrigeration after opening, its convenience factor becomes less significant, especially given the compromise in flavor compared to fresh buttermilk.
Whole Milk: A Simple Dairy Swap
1 cup plain milk
Using plain whole milk as a direct substitute resulted in biscuits that were surprisingly appealing visually – nicely golden and craggy. Intriguingly, they tasted the most buttery of all batches, likely because the absence of acidity allowed the butter flavor to dominate. However, similar to the DIY buttermilk, these biscuits had a finer crumb, reminiscent of fast-food or pre-made biscuits. While palatable, they lacked the distinctive tang and texture of authentic buttermilk biscuits.
Plain Yogurt: A Surprisingly Good Alternative
1 cup thinned plain yogurt
For this substitute, we thinned plain yogurt with water until it reached a pourable consistency before adding it to the dough. Surprisingly, yogurt emerged as the closest substitute to real buttermilk in terms of overall quality. The yogurt biscuits had good flavor and a tall, even shape. The main drawback, similar to the DIY buttermilk, was a finer, fast-food biscuit-like texture. However, for those who prefer a softer, less coarse biscuit, plain yogurt could be a very acceptable alternative. Sour cream, with its higher fat content, might yield even richer results in a similar experiment.
Vegan Buttermilk: Coconut Milk and Vinegar
1 scant cup full-fat canned coconut milk + 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
Exploring dairy-free options, we tested a vegan buttermilk substitute using full-fat canned coconut milk and vinegar. Coconut milk’s richness and thickness seemed promising. The mixture’s consistency was indeed similar to real buttermilk. However, the resulting biscuits had a distinct coconut flavor profile, quite different from the other batches, and were noticeably more crumbly. While a dairy-free option, it significantly alters the flavor and texture compared to buttermilk biscuits. (Note: We used dairy butter in this vegan test to isolate the buttermilk substitution’s impact).
Final Verdict: Buttermilk Reigns Supreme
While the visual differences between the biscuits might seem subtle at first glance, the taste and texture variations were undeniable. Our experiment clearly demonstrated that store-bought real buttermilk remains the gold standard for achieving authentic buttermilk biscuits. Homemade substitutes simply couldn’t replicate the complex flavor and ideal texture.
To further illustrate buttermilk’s impact, we also compared muffins made with whole milk versus buttermilk. The buttermilk muffins exhibited a more craggly, open-crumb texture and were exceptionally moist and flavorful. This confirmed buttermilk’s superior contribution to both texture and taste in a different type of baked good.
How to Keep Buttermilk Handy: Freezing Tips
Since real buttermilk is undeniably the best choice, but not always a fridge staple, freezing is an excellent solution to ensure you always have some available without waste.
[Link to YouTube video about freezing buttermilk]
Dive Deeper into Baking Science
[Link to more baking science articles]
Recipes to Showcase Buttermilk’s Magic
[Link to recipes with buttermilk]
Classic Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
This is the base recipe used for our buttermilk substitute testing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in cold butter using fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also use a food processor for speed, keeping the fat cold is key.
- Gently stir in chilled buttermilk until just combined. Avoid overmixing; the dough will be slightly sticky.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and dust the top with flour. Gently pat the dough to 1/2-inch thickness.
- Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, pressing straight down without twisting, to cut out biscuits. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Reroll scraps, handling as little as possible, to cut out more biscuits.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Share your baking creations! Tag your photos on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can see your buttermilk masterpieces!
Buttermilk 101 Article Credits:
- Written by Tessa Arias
- Edited by Jessie Bruce, Master’s of Public Health Nutrition and Dietetics Candidate at UC Berkeley
Sources:
- Amendola, J. (2002). Understanding Baking: The Art and Science of Baking (3rd Edition). Wiley Global Education US.
- Figoni, Paula. How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science, 3rd Edition. 3rd ed., John Wiley and Sons, 2010.
- McWilliams, M. (2016). Foods (8th Edition). Pearson Education (US).
