Homemade Buttermilk

This is how my daughter stores her
Homemade Buttermilk.

Buttermilk is one of those things my family doesn't actually drink, we just need it every once in a while for a recipe. My Moms mother actually would drink a glass of buttermilk with a slice of cornbread broken into it, and stirred around together. The cornbread wasn't that 'sweet cake kind' either, as Grandma would say. There was no sugar added to this everyday staple. Not even a tablespoon! (Try it. It's nothing like what we eat now.) You think that sounds odd? She drank it while enjoying a crisp, raw onion! She would hold the onion in one hand and take bites out of it the same way we would eat an apple! Then in the other hand she held her 'glass of buttermilk', which she used to wash down her bites of onion! Hey...'don't knock it 'till ya try it'!

I must admit, I have never tried Grandmas 'snack', and more than likely, I never will. So I will never need a half gallon of buttermilk just sitting in my 'fridge. But when I do need just a cup for some homemade pancakes, let's say, the following recipe fits the bill.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1 3/4 Tbl cream of tartar or 1 Tbl white vinegar or 1 Tbl lemon juice

Add the milk with the 'acid' of your choice and stir. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. The milk should start to curdle. Stir well before using. Refrigerate any leftovers.

From California Laurel: Red Velvet Cupcakes
with Cream Cheese frosting.

My daughter, whose buttermilk I photographed and placed at the top of the page, uses a completely different method for making her Homemade Buttermilk. You can find her recipe here on her food blog, California Laurel, as she takes you through her delicious recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes!


*A combination of 3/4 cup plain yogurt and 1/4 cup whole milk can be used to replace 1 cup of buttermilk in most recipes. Recipe credit: http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1192 .