Easily make your buttermilk (fermented milk) with this recipe in 2 ingredients! Buttermilk, fermented milk, buttermilk, buttermilk: under these different names hides a milk widely used in baking to provide a lot of softness to cakes, muffins and other delicacies...
It is sometimes difficult to obtain depending on the region, so this recipe allows you to make fermented milk at home In 15 minutes.
What exactly is buttermilk?
Originally, this buttermilk is the liquid from fresh milk that remains after making butter in a churn. It is a fermented milk that is created by mixing milk and an acidic ingredient.
Its texture is thicker than conventional milk. Buttermilk tastes sour and slightly acidic. Its flavor is more marked, the buttermilk brings especially a lot of softness in recipes for desserts and pastries.
2 ingredients and that's it!
- Milk : semi-skimmed, skimmed or whole. You can use cow's milk, sheep's milk or goat's milk. You can even use vegetable milk: soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk.
- Lemon juice ou vinaigre : this is the key ingredient that starts the fermentation of milk. This is what will give buttermilk its characteristic "curdled" appearance.
How to make buttermilk (fermented milk) easily?
First, put your ingredients at room temperature : this allows the chemical reaction to take place more quickly.
- In a container (a bottle or a large bowl) pour the milk.
- Then add the fermentation ingredient: either lemon juice, white vinegar or cider vinegar.
- Let it sit for several minutes until the milk "curdles". Mix and it's ready.
PS: I give you the detailed quantities in the recipe at the bottom of the article.
How to store homemade fermented milk?
Once done, you can keep your fermented milk up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I advise you to keep it in a closed container (bottle with airtight cap).
In which recipes to use buttermilk?
Buttermilk can be used in all types of recipes: pancakes, muffins, cakes, cakes, buns, scones etc. Buttermilk makes for a lighter dough, a softer and airier texture. Recipes of Anglo-Saxon origin call it "buttermilk".
Use it without fear, buttermilk will not leave an unpleasant taste in your recipe. If you put vinegar to create your buttermilk, your dessert will not taste like vinegar afterwards.
Please note: if your recipe calls for fermented milk, do not use regular milk instead. Classic milk is less acidic than fermented milk therefore the chemical reaction with the baking soda or yeast will be less strong, the texture of the recipe will therefore be less puffy and less chewy.
My recipe suggestions with buttermilk/fermented milk
- Very moist chocolate muffins
- Four Quarters Soft Vanilla
- Honey pecan banana cake
- Blueberry lemon layer cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Layer cake lemon poppy
- 240 ml milk at room temperature whole (my preference), semi-skimmed or vegetable milk
- 1 cs lemon juice OR vinegar (white or cider)
- In a small container or a small bottle, pour the milk and add the lemon juice OR the vinegar. To mix everything.
- Let stand for 10-15 minutes. The milk will curdle slightly (become a little grainy) this is normal. Mix one last time and it's ready: you can use it in your recipes.
Hello and thank you for the recipe. However, my milk did not curdle as you specified even after 30 minutes of rest, is this normal? I used white vinegar 1 tablespoon for 240ml of whole milk. What do you think could have happened?
Hello Laurine, very good question, as I was not with you it is difficult to know what went wrong. You need whole milk, it is important, and at room temperature, especially not cold. Otherwise you can either let it set longer, or add a little acid (vinegar or lemon). As my 3rd photo in the article shows, there should be a little curd forming on your container. See you soon :)
Hello and thank you for the explanation. Do you specify that we can take vegetable milk? Is there a preference for rice, oats...!?
Hello Frederic, for a vegetable version, you can use soy milk, it is the one that reacts best with the acidity of lemon/vinegar. See you soon :)
Hello, what white vinegar do I use please because I can only find household white vinegar and not for cooking
Hello Julien, this is the white vinegar (transparent) made for cooking that you find in the oil section. Indeed, do not confuse it with household vinegar. See you soon :)
Hello, in your recipe you say that we can use semi-skimmed, skimmed, whole and even vegetable milk, but in your response to Laurine you say that we need whole milk and that it is important...
So at home I have semi-skimmed, would that work or not?
I want to make your chocolate muffin recipe which looks sublime :-D
Thank you in advance for your answer !
Hello Lili, personally I always make it with whole milk, because I find that it thickens faster once you add the acidic agent (vinegar or lemon). But it also works with semi-skimmed or certain vegetable milks. See you soon :)
Hello,
I just read your recipe for making buttermilk, however it seems to me that you are giving the one for making fermented milk, like "clabber" but in no case buttermilk.
Buttermilk, as its name suggests, is the liquid that remains after working the cream of milk into butter. And Ribot milk is said to be made from this liquid and not from the curds!
cordially
Patricia
Hello Patricia, I can confirm that buttermilk is fermented milk. Traditionally it is prepared with the liquid remaining after churning the butter. Its acidity is useful in baking, because it creates a reaction with the alkalinity of baking soda to leaven and give a lot of softness to cakes, for example. See you soon :)
Good morning, thank you for your article.
I tried the recipe with whole milk but it didn't work. So I was wondering if the recipe worked with uht milk?
thank you for your reply
Hello Claire, yes it works with UHT milk, that's how I do it myself. You have to make sure your two ingredients are at room temperature, otherwise it takes longer. See you soon :)
Thank you for this recipe which I use regularly and now saves me from throwing away leftover fermented milk (sold in 1l), I make it in the quantity I need.
Hello Lilie, is it not possible to use lime?
Hi Lauriane, I've never tried it with lime, you can give it a go! See you soon :)