Homemade buttermilk

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I occassionally make some baked goods that call for buttermilk; this stuff is really expensive in the grocery store, and I never end up using the entire carton before I have to throw it out. As a result of this wastefulness, I found a recipe to make your own buttermilk at home and thought I would share it. It is very easy, only 1 cup of milk to 2 tablespoons of vinegar. You then let this sit in a bowl for about 5 minutes and you have imitation buttermilk. I use it all of the time now as opposed to spending money on the real stuff.
 
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I've tried this method a few times, Tina, and it really does work. I find it difficult to get buttermilk at the supermarket on occasions, but at 50p for a 284ml carton, it doesn't exactly break the bank. That said, I hate to be reliant on something that I'm not certain I can get when I need it, hence the method of adding vinegar to milk is a great standby. You could also use lemon juice, which I think is slightly less harsh, but it depends on your own tastes really.

Whenever I see it on the shelves in the supermarket I buy about half a dozen cartons and freeze some of it. If I have any left over from an opened carton, I put it into ice cube trays for another day.
 
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The lemon juice idea is great, especially if you want to add a little citrus flavor to the dish or baked good. Buttermilk is very expensive where I live, not bank breaking expensive, but not the price I am willing to pay most of the time for a single ingredient. I am finding that I like to be a little more self sustaining these days, so whatever I can make myself, I go for it now.
 
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You're right, Tina. I love the idea of being self-sustaining too, and a huge part of this is coming up with your own ideas/solutions, as you did with the buttermilk substitute. My own adventures with self-sufficiency/sustainability led me to making my own homemade butter, which in turn got me onto the buttermilk. I was left with a huge amount of liquid once the solids had separated from the cream, and I hate waste of any sort, so I didn't want to throw it away without first checking that I could use it. Apparently you can use it in bread, cakes, and just about anything you bake that calls for water or milk to be added. But where I got confused was whether or not it was actual 'buttermilk'. After a lot of research, I learned that it wasn't actually buttermilk unless it was cultured - you could culture it either before or after you make your butter - and if not cultured it was simply 'whey'.

It's great to learn new stuff like this all the time. Good on you for wanting to be more self sufficient! ;)
 

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