Buttermilk
Used in 4 recipes on RecipeWiki.
Buttermilk, as sold in Britain today, is cultured: usually low-fat milk thickened and soured with lactic bacteria, pourable and tangy like a thin yoghurt. Its acidity does two jobs in baking. It reacts with bicarbonate of soda to lift Buttermilk Soda Bread and Skillet Cornbread, and it tenderises a batter, which helps Buttermilk Pancakes come out soft and light. It is also the starter used to sour milk for Tvorog, and this page covers live natural yoghurt as the alternative there. If you have none for baking, natural yoghurt loosened with a little milk makes a fair substitute. Shake the carton before measuring, as it separates on standing.
Most often cooked with
Bicarbonate of soda
Baking powder
Egg
FlourRecipes with buttermilk
Buttermilk Pancakes
Thick American-style pancakes raised with buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda, mixed in under a minute so the batter stays lumpy.
American
Breakfast
Vegetarian
Buttermilk Soda Bread
A yeast-free loaf leavened with bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk, in the oven ten minutes after you start and cooling within the hour.
Baking
Bread
Irish
Skillet Cornbread
A savoury all-cornmeal bread baked in a preheated cast-iron pan, so the batter hits hot fat and sets a crust as it lands.
Southern US
Tvorog
Fresh curd cheese drained from gently warmed soured milk, the base several Russian sweet and baked dishes are built on.
Russian