A Better Buttermilk Substitute

[BakerAunt]

When I started my coleslaw this morning, I realized that I had less than half the amount of buttermilk that I needed. Our local store changed milk distributors, so it only carries a 5% saturated fat buttermilk, which it calls gourmet. I also cannot get a good plain yogurt there. However, I have a partial tub of Greek yogurt, so I googled to find out if I could substitute, and I found this article by P. J. Hamel:

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2019/01/28/how-to-substitute-for-buttermilk#:~:text=It%27s%20also%20an%20easy%20ratio,2%20cups%20of%20buttermilk%20substitute.

As I was using the substitute for a buttermilk dressing, I needed it to taste like buttermilk, and when P. J. gave the taste award to the combination of 1 part Greek yogurt to 2 parts 1% milk, I followed that formula. The dressing for the coleslaw turned out very well. I can taste a bit of a difference, and I did have almost half of the buttermilk, but it kept me from having to go to the store. I did the 1:2 by weight, so I do not know if it works by volume. I have some leftover, which I will use in baking.

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[Joan Simpson]

I have subbed sour cream in my Banana bread recipe and it worked fine, just as good if not better.

[Mike Nolan]

Greek yogurt is a bit too sour for our tastes, fortunately we can get cultured buttermilk readily at the stores.

I have tried the buttermilk plant method of regenerating buttermilk, and it seems to work well, but I don't use enough buttermilk for that to be worth the effort, because you really need to clean out the container each time you regenerate it, or it can go bad.

Cultured buttermilk from the store is something that lasts well beyond the 'use by' date on the package.

[BakerAunt]

Some Greek yogurts are better than others. I like Chobani and Fage for eating, but I usually stir in some fruit or a bit of my homemade jam.

I bought two 2-quart jugs of low-fat buttermilk when we did our big shopping run yesterday, so I should be set until our next shopping trip.

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