Because buttermilk is so easy and quick to make, this has been my go to recipe for the last year. I used to make a lot of yogurt, but in order to get a good consistency, I would have to heat the milk to 180 degrees. I felt like I was losing a lot of the benefits of our raw milk, so I started making this instead. The process is so easy that I wish I would have changed years ago! Every morning I make about 6 quarts of this by simply pouring almost a quart of cold or fresh raw milk into a clean quart jar, adding a 1/4 cup of buttermilk from the previous day’s buttermilk, whisking it well, putting a lid on it, and letting it sit at room temperature on my counter for 12 to 24 hours depending upon what temperature my house is at. In the winter it can get cold when the wood stove goes out and take longer to ferment. In the summer it can get warm in the house and be done more quickly. I have a routine of making this every day so that it’s fresh and not sour, but it will last about a week in the refrigerator. To keep the culture going it will need to be recultured every week or placed in the freezer if you are unable to take care of it. You can also add 1/4 cup of the buttermilk to cream and make delicious sour cream.
The benefits to making your own buttermilk is that it saves money and you won’t have undesirable ingredients in your product like you would get in all buttermilk or yogurt purchased from the store (even organic). To get started I ordered an heirloom buttermilk culture and followed the directions. It’s important to get an heirloom culture so you can reculture and not have to buy a new culture every time you make it. We love to make smoothies with this every morning. I sneak (actually my kids know everything that is in there because they often help me) spices, healthy fats, and medicinal products for added health benefits. I will share our morning smoothie soon! I also use this in our sour dough einkorn bread recipes (I will share this soon too) and some of our family members like to add fresh fruit and eat it that way. If you missed our post about the benefits of cultured dairy this week, I shared it here on the blog.
Have you made cultured dairy? What is your favorite product to make?
Cultured Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk From previous batch
- 1 quart Milk Raw is best, but pasteurized will work
Instructions
- The first step to make cultured buttermilk will be to order an heirloom buttermilk culture and follow the directions for getting this started. After this is going you can simply pour almost a quart of cold or fresh raw milk into a clean quart jar, add a 1/4 cup of yogurt from the previous day's buttermilk, whisk it well, put a lid on it, and let it sit at room temperature on the counter for 12 to 24 hours depending upon what temperature of your house is at. You will know it's done when it becomes thick. When you are getting started with the culture, it might not be as thick the first day, but it will get thicker by the second culturing. In order to preserve the culture, this will need to be cultured at least once per week. Doing this daily keeps the buttermilk tasting fresh and not sour.