How to Make Buttermilk from Vinegar

You may find yourself staring at a recipe that calls for buttermilk, wondering when was the last time you bought any. In fact, you might even wonder if you've ever bought it. Fortunately, there’s an easy alternative. This substitute uses vinegar and milk, making it less ideal for recipes where buttermilk is the main ingredient, like buttermilk cake. However, it's the perfect solution for recipes that need buttermilk’s acidity to achieve a fluffy texture, such as buttermilk pancakes or Irish soda bread.

Buttermilk from Milk and Vinegar

Yield: 1 cup

• 1.5 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 cup almost-full milk

Buttermilk Pancakes with Fruit

Yield: 4-6 pancakes

• 2 cups flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• ½ stick butter
• 1 cup fruit

Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 16 pieces

• 3 cups flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk

Pour vinegar into a 1-cup measuring cup. Add 1.5 tablespoons of white vinegar to the cup.

• Buttermilk is a type of milk with a sour taste. You can achieve a similar result at home by adding an acidic ingredient to milk. The acid causes the milk to thicken and become slightly firmer. It also plays a role in helping baked goods rise due to a chemical reaction. When the acid interacts with baking soda (the base), carbon dioxide forms, creating air bubbles in baked goods. This process results in a light and fluffy texture.
• You can substitute white vinegar with lemon juice. Other types of vinegar can also be used, but they will affect the final flavor.
• If you double the recipe, be sure to double the amount of vinegar or lemon juice as well.

Add the milk. Pour milk into the measuring cup until it’s almost full.

• ‘Almost full’ means ‘a bit less’ in cooking terms, so a cup that’s ‘almost full’ actually means it’s not quite a full cup of milk.
• You can use 2% milk, whole milk, half-and-half, or cream.

Stir the mixture. Use a spoon to stir the milk and vinegar together until well combined.

Let the mixture sit. Allow the mixture to rest on the countertop for at least 5 minutes or up to 15 minutes.

Stir the mixture. Make sure the mixture has thickened slightly; you should notice it clinging to the back of the spoon. The milk will also thicken and develop a slightly sour taste.

Use the mixture as buttermilk. For recipes that require buttermilk, use this mixture in a 1:1 ratio in place of buttermilk.

Place the dry ingredients in a sifter. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 cups of flour into the sifter. If you don’t have a sifter, you can use a fine mesh strainer. Next, sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.

• To sift using a regular strainer, gently shake or tap the side of the strainer to allow the ingredients to pass through the mesh.

Melt the butter. Place ½ stick of butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the butter in the microwave until fully melted.

Add the wet ingredients to a separate bowl. Crack 2 eggs into the bowl, then add 2 cups of buttermilk and the melted butter. Whisk everything together using a whisk.

Combine the two groups of ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, then gently fold the batter together.

• It’s okay if there are a few lumps. If you overmix the batter, your pancakes won’t be light and fluffy.

Prepare the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet over medium heat and let it melt.

Pour the batter into the pan. First, pour ⅓ cup of batter into the pan. Then, add some fruit on top of the pancake.

• You can use blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or any other type of fruit, fresh or frozen. If using large fruits like strawberries, consider cutting them into smaller pieces before adding them to the pancake. You can also try adding chopped bananas or chocolate chips.

Wait for the pancakes to cook. It will take about two minutes to cook each side. Keep an eye out for small bubbles on the surface of the pancake. The bubbles should pop before you flip the pancake.

Continue until all the batter is used up. Keep adding ⅓ cup of batter to the pan until all the pancake mixture is gone. Add more butter to the pan if needed. You can also keep the pancakes warm in the oven until you're ready to serve.

Preheat the oven. Set the oven to 175°C. Cut a piece of parchment paper to line the baking tray and set it aside.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Cut the butter. Use a knife to cut the butter into small pieces.

Trộn bơ với hỗn hợp bột mì. Dùng dụng cụ trộn bột bánh ngàn lớp, hai cây dao phết bơ hoặc tay sạch để chia nhỏ bơ trong hỗn hợp bột.

• Nếu bạn chọn dùng hai cây dao phết bơ, hãy cắt những đường ngang dọc trên bột, dùng điểm gặp nhau của hai nhát dao để cắt nhỏ những mẩu bơ to. Bạn cần cắt sao cho hỗn hợp bột chỉ còn những mẩu bơ nhỏ.

Thêm nguyên liệu. Bạn có thể thêm thảo mộc và hương vị như quả mạn việt quất khô, hạt caraway, nho khô, thì là, hương thảo hoặc phô mai cheddar.

• Với thảo mộc, bạn sẽ thêm 1 hoặc 2 thìa canh. Với nguyên liệu khác như mạn việt quất, nho khô hoặc phô mai cheddar, bạn có thể dùng 1 cốc. Riêng phô mai, bạn có thể rắc lên bề mặt bột đã nở trước khi cho vào lò nướng.

Thêm 2 cốc buttermilk. Hãy trộn bột đến khi bạn cảm thấy bột đã được trộn đều.

Rắc bột mì lên quầy bếp sạch hoặc miếng lót dành cho bột ngàn lớp. Cho bột lên phần bột mì và bắt đầu nhào bột.

• Để nhào bột, bạn dùng nắm tay đấm vào bột rồi gấp bột. Lặp lại thao tác này 8 hoặc 10 lần. Bột sẽ đều hơn sau khi bạn hoàn tất thao tác.

Làm miếng bột tròn phẳng. Bạn sẽ vo bột thành hình tròn rồi đè dẹp trên đĩa. Bột không nên dày quá 4 cm.

Place the dough onto the prepared baking tray. Score an 'X' on the top of the dough, cutting about halfway through.

Bake the bread. Bake the bread in the oven for about one hour. Rotate the tray after around 30 minutes. The finished bread should have a crispy golden-brown crust.