Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient

How familiar are you with Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient? Do you know how it’s made and did you know you can make your own? One more question? Are you aware of the many uses of this tangy, thick milk that makes cakes more moist in addition to chicken more tender and flavorful? Well you’ve stopped by the right place because I will share what buttermilk is, how this milk is made, the many uses and varieties in addition how to make your own. Seems like Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient is harder and harder to find. Not quite sure why that is since this flavorful liquid is quite popular.

Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient

First of all, Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient is made from regular whole milk. This milk product goes through a fermentation process which produces the classic acidic sour taste from lactic acid bacteria. Produced by two species of bacteria known as Lactococcus lactis or Lactobacillus bulgaricus which also gives buttermilk its tartness. Buttermilk is flecked with bits of butter throughout giving it that rich yellow color.

Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient is not made from by-product of butter making much anymore. Most often made from non-fat and low-fat cultures as I mentioned back in this post. Most relevant is the fact it’s much lower in fat and calories and kind to the waistline. Today’s buttermilk still has the same taste as traditional from years past. Buttermilk October Featured Ingredient is perfect for baking in both liquid and powder form. Your recipes will tell you which form to use. Powdered buttermilk is used when making pancakes. Liquid form is mostly used in baking biscuits, pies, and marinades. Checkout my recipe for Crispy Oven Baked Buttermilk Chicken. Buttermilk adds both tang and tenderness to the chicken and it’s finger-licking good crispy outside is to die for. My Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with Pecan Butter Syrup make a fabulous weekend breakfast.

Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient

Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient

So have been about ready to make a recipe and somehow you overlooked needing buttermilk? I know it stinks when you forget and ingredient but you’re not alone. I have done the same more than once. While this feels like the worlds biggest disaster, it’s not because you can make a replacement for store-bought buttermilk.

Making homemade buttermilk substitute is super easy. Just mix one cup of buttermilk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes until thickened and curdled. Your homemade substitute will not be as thick as store-bought but will work in any recipe just the same. So don’t freak out if you forget buttermilk to make pancakes or biscuits this morning. You can use low-fat, whole or heavy cream to make buttermilk substitute. Most of us forget we can use this method so no more panicking. Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient crisis averted.

Buttermilk – October Featured Ingredient

I hope you have found the information on Buttermilk to be helpful. Checkout this post from one of my favorite cooking magazines and websites, Cooks Illustrated for more information. It’s a great article I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Use buttermilk more often when cooking and fall in love as I have. Get going as I hear someone calling for pancakes. Until next month…