Ingredients
Cultured buttermilk
- 1 litrewhole or semi-skimmed milk
- 3 tbsplive cultured buttermilk, as starter
To use
- soda bread
- scones and pancakes
- or drunk cold with a pinch of salt
Directions
- Warm the milk to 22°C (72°F) — barely warm. Buttermilk is set by a mesophilic culture that works at room temperature, and yoghurt heat destroys it.
- Stir in the starter buttermilk until evenly mixed.
- Pour into a jar, cover with a cloth rather than a lid, and leave at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
- It is ready when it has thickened slightly and tastes cleanly sour. It should still pour easily — buttermilk is not meant to set like yoghurt, and if yours has, it went too long or too warm.
- Stir smooth and refrigerate. It keeps two weeks and sharpens as it goes.
- Keep three tablespoons back to culture the next batch. It will run indefinitely.
- For soda bread, its acidity is not optional: it reacts with bicarbonate of soda to raise the loaf, which is exactly why Ireland’s breads are unyeasted. Sweet milk will not work in its place without adding acid.
Technique
- Room temperature, not warm. This is the difference between buttermilk and yoghurt.
- Cover with cloth. A sealed lid traps gas and the milk separates.
- True churn buttermilk — the liquid left after making butter — is thinner and less acidic than this cultured version. Both work in soda bread; the cultured one is more reliable.
Substitutions
- Milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per 250 ml, as an emergency substitute in baking only.
- Live sour cream or crème fraîche as the starter.
Variations
- The buttermilk left from churning butter, which is the original and is thinner.
- Drunk cold with salt and pepper, which was the everyday farm drink.
History
A byproduct of farmhouse butter churning; its acidity reacts with bicarbonate of soda, giving Ireland its unyeasted breads.
Frequently asked questions
What is Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is a cheese & dairy from Ireland: tangy soured milk drunk plain and used to raise soda bread. A byproduct of farmhouse butter churning; its acidity reacts with bicarbonate of soda, giving Ireland its unyeasted breads.
How long does Buttermilk take to make?
Buttermilk takes 10 min plus 18 hours culturing of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes 1 litre. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Buttermilk?
Yes, within limits. Milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per 250 ml, as an emergency substitute in baking only. Live sour cream or crème fraîche as the starter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Buttermilk?
Pour into a jar, cover with a cloth rather than a lid, and leave at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
