Year ago, buttermilk was the liquid left in the churn after making butter. Today, it’s made by adding a bacteria culture to low-fat milk.
As cooking ingredient, buttermilk acts as a leavening agent for all kind of breads and baked goods such as cakes, biscuits pancakes and cornbread.
Buttermilk is an agent that enhances flavor and texture of cake butter. It lends a ‘cheesy’ taste to sauces, dressings, frozen desserts and many other recipes.
Originally a byproduct of butter making, buttermilk should be called ‘butterless’ milk.
Today, buttermilk is used in the United States mainly as an ingredient in cooking. Buttermilk pancakes and biscuits connote wholesomeness and old-time cooking.
Buttermilk can be substituted for 2 percent or whole milk in most recipes. Butter is less than 1 percent fat, almost equal to skim milk, however, it has a thicker consistency.
Buttermilk as a cooking ingredient
