Making a substitute.
There are times when you just don’t have the ingredient you need for a recipe. It’s frustrating to no end. And, when I get an idea to make something, I really want to make it. It means having to create a substitute for the ingredient you’re missing. Either that or getting into the car to go to the supermarket. You don’t always need to do that as there are some really good substitutes out there. They are so good you wouldn’t know the difference from the real thing. I believe this buttermilk substitute is one of those.
What is buttermilk?
Traditionally, buttermilk is the liquid leftover after fermented cream is churned into butter. It was said to be a very delicious and refreshing drink with many health benefits. If you make your own butter, make sure you keep the leftover milk to use in baking. What you buy commercially isn’t the leftover from making butter. It’s milk with added bacteria to simulate what is naturally in traditional buttermilk which increases the acidity of the milk resulting in buttermilk that’s thick and tart. While you may not want to drink buttermilk, it’s fantastic in baking.
The recipe I wanted to make was a Banana Choc Chip Cake I wanted to try out for my youngest daughter’s 1st birthday party and it called for 1.5 cups of buttermilk. I don’t know how many people just have buttermilk available in the fridge. Well, we certainly aren’t one of them. So I had to improvise and use a substitute in the recipe.
Now, this substitute recipe remains as a staple in my home. I’ve used it countless times. There are a few recipes here that call for buttermilk and each time I’ll make this substitute rather than buying the actual thing from the supermarket.
Want another delicious recipe?
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love others available here. From pastas to risottos, cookies to desserts, and bliss balls to gluten-free options with everything in between. There is truly something here for everyone. I have developed this website to provide family-friendly recipes where I maximise both fresh produce while minimising cost.
Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions
- Place a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
- Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
- Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.
- If you have some heavy full cream in the fridge, you can make buttermilk using this instead. The bonus is that you'd be making REAL buttermilk and not a substitute.