Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Buttermilk




It seems like I only buy buttermilk for special recipes (like the Coconut Cupcakes) and then am left with a nearly full carton in my fridge thinking, "I know I have a ton of recipes I love with buttermilk in them, what are they?" and then the buttermilk goes bad before I use it. I also always think about my home-ec teacher who loved to drink buttermilk plain, and wonder if I should try to develop a taste for it. No. Of course I love all the wonderful cakes and pancakes and biscuits and other baked goods with buttermilk in them, but all in all they aren't very healthy. Here are 2 of my favorite super healthy buttermilk recipes.



Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes (17 grams protein per serving)
(one recipe is more than enough for our family of 5)
1 C. whole wheat flour
2/3 C. flour
1/3 C. toasted wheat germ (I've also substituted flax meal with very good results)
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
Whisk above ingredients together. Combine then add to dry:
3 T. butter, melted
2 3/4 C. buttermilk
2 eggs



Buttermilk Banana Smoothies (6 grams protein)
serves 2+
1 C. buttermilk
2 bananas
11 dried dates
1 t. honey
pinch salt
1 c. ice

Combine in blender.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Buttermilk scares memoslty because I don't know enough about it.
It looks like sour milk, does it taste like sour milk?
When I have a recipe that calls for buttermilk I just make sour milk with milk and lemon juice or vinigar.
Does buttermilk a big differnce?

Anonymous said...

did your home-ec teacher get really huge or die?

Erin said...

Buttermilk is really sour and it's not good plain (in my opinion), but I think it makes a big difference in cooking. I do the same thing you do Rachel, and I think I get just slightly better results when I use the real thing. Buttermilk is the liquid that is left over after cream is churned into butter. Most of the buttermilk that you buy in the stores is milk with added acids and bacteria to look and taste like real buttermilk. I would love to try the real thing, it sounds much more appetizing. Anon, my home-ec teacher was a very petite woman who grew up on a farm.

Carrie said...

Was that Mrs. Ferrey (I can't remember how she spelled her name)?
Keep up the good cooking!

Anonymous said...

I am going to purchase my first pint of buttermilk tyonight and my kids are going to have buttermilk pancakes in the morning. I'll report tomorrow.

Liz Stanley said...

perfect! i have a whole carton of butter milk in the fridge leftover from my carrot cupcakes. I couldn't find it in a small container which is totally a scheme to rip off the american public because who uses buttermilk on a daily basis besides your crazy home-ec teacher?

Anonymous said...

Erin, You should ask Ben Blair about his buttery pancakes with buttery syrup
Donna

Anonymous said...

And by the way, GG likes to drink buttermilk. She and Grandpa Pack used to love it, maybe because he lived on a dairy farm as a child. And by the way again, today is Grandpa's birthday.
Love, Donna