There's No Butter in Buttermilk

I agree that it's often times easier to buy already prepared foods rather than make everything from scratch. But when you look at the list of ingredients and see things you can neither prounce nor recognize as natural, it makes you wonder.

This is why I like to make most everything I eat from scratch. And I do mean everything.

I make my own ice cream. Ricotta. Flavored vinegars. Bread and butter pickles. I have made various kinds of mustards. Flavored salts, check. Applesauce. I have even made my own vanilla. Yes to salad dressings. And the list goes on. 

I am tickled to now add buttermilk to this growing list.

What? Why would you do such a thing, you are probably asking yourself? And so I'll tell you.

Buttermilk from the grocery store has loads of chemicals and unnatural things in it. Just take a look.

There are way too many ingredients to buy it. Honestly. Shouldn't buttermilk be made with milk and perhaps some natural enzymes to make it curdle or something?

And then there's the buttermilk you can buy at Whole Foods, for example. Yes, it is all natural but also very expensive and comes in a huge container and I never need that much at one time.

When I came across a recipe for making my own buttermilk, I thought, this is the answer to my buttermilk dilemma! It's so easy and utterly perfect, I want to share it with you, just in case you, too, are struggling with this buttermilk quandry.

No longer do we need to question whether to suffer and suck up the cheap, chemical-laden buttermilk or be stuck with an inordinate amount of natural and pricey buttermilk. Now we can make it whenever we need it. And in small amounts!

Buttermilk pancakes, panna cotta or buttermilk biscuits, anyone? Yes, yes and yes!

With our homemade buttermilk we made Cowgirl Granola's Organic Blue Cornmeal Waffles topped with Texas pecans and a ripe Texas peach. Oh, and Vermont maple syrup.

Thanks, cuz. You're the best!

Buen provecho!

Homemade Buttermilk
The Cowgirl Gourmet

Print recipe

Makes 1 cup

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled or even halved, depending on your needs.

1 cup whole milk, organic would be ideal
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar

Place milk in a non-reactive bowl and add lemon juice or vinegar.

Stir and let sit for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes or so, milk will have curdled, thickened substantially and have a nice tangy smell to it.

Use immediately and watch it disappear!