# What can I do with buttermilk?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 6, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235 "2005-07-06T02:26:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/1 "2005-07-06T02:26:36Z")
Hello all,
I bought a quart of buttermilk to make cookies from a recipe, but I only needed a quarter-cup. I hate to waste food, so I’d love to figure out something else to do with buttermilk before it goes bad. I never buy or drink the stuff, so does anyone have any good tasty recipes involving buttermilk?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/2 "2005-07-06T02:48:20Z")
Dump it down the drain.
Yuck! (Where’s the vomit smiley when you need it?)
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### Author:  [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/3 "2005-07-06T02:53:07Z")
Buttermilk pancakes! No recipe at hand (I’m at work) but I think you can replace half the milk with the buttermilk with no problem.
Mmmmmm. Pancakes.
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/4 "2005-07-06T03:01:06Z")
**Buttermilk Pie**
4 6 ounces butter
1 1-1/2 cup sugar
1/4 3/8 cup flour
3 4-1/2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
Melt the butter, place in a mixing bowl and stir in sugar and flour, until smoothly blended. Stir in the eggs and mix well, then stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into an unbaked piecrust, and bake at 350 degrees Farenheit until set.
The first set of measurements is for a smaller pie, and the second set is for a larger one.
This pie has a pleasing flavor sort of like cheesecake. You can top it with fruit if you wish, or a fruit sauce.
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/5 "2005-07-06T03:02:17Z")
In addition to the pancakes, you can make buttermilk waffles (breakfast or dessert) and buttermilk biscuits. I think [foodtv.com](http://foodtv.com) has a recipe for a lemon cake that calls for buttermilk. You can also soak chicken in it to make Maryland Fried Chicken.
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/6 "2005-07-06T03:07:03Z")
OK, I should have previewed, those numbers weren’t spread as far apart as I thought they would be.
4 --------- 6 ounces butter
1 --------- 1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 ------ 3/8 cups flour
3--------- 4-1/2 eggs
1--------- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1--------- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
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### Author:  [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/7 "2005-07-06T03:07:36Z")
Mix it with some sour cream and additives of choice for a great salad dressing.
Possible additives: crumbled blue cheese, freshly snipped dill or chives, plenty of fresh ground pepper, crushed garlic, whatever.
It’s basically Ranch done your way.
Or yeah, soak chicken parts in it for superlative fried chicken.
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/8 "2005-07-06T03:08:41Z")
It’s late and I’m tired so would you mind explaining what three four and one half eggs means, please?
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### Author:  [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/9 "2005-07-06T03:33:11Z")
It’s not so much the buttermilk itself, it’s the way the glass looks when you’re finished…
I started [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=323506) to ask for fried chicken recipes, and virtually all of them recommended soaking the chicken in buttermilk before frying.
Good luck,
plynck
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### Author:  [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/10 "2005-07-06T03:34:26Z")
Buttermilk pie is great! And of course pancakes. Pancakes aren’t worth eating if you don’t make them with buttermilk. Cornbread’s another good use for buttermilk, but that’s one of those things my family has never had an actual recipe for; we’ve all just learned by example.
-Lil
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### Author:  [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/11 "2005-07-06T04:28:38Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#):
>
> It’s late and I’m tired so would you mind explaining what three four and one half eggs means, please?
Half eggs come from half chickens, therefore the recipe really is calling for 3~4 half eggs. Substitute full size eggs at your own peril. 😉
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### Author:  [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/12 "2005-07-06T05:06:31Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Dump it down the drain.
No, no, no! Send it to me- I love it!
You could also try making biscuits or cornbread with it.
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/13 "2005-07-06T05:11:13Z")
Dale Evans rode Buttermilk for many years. I suppose that horse is dead now.
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### Author:  [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/14 "2005-07-06T05:22:00Z")
To reinforce what others have said:
Buttermilk is absolute **gold** for baking or chicken frying. And now I want to try Buttermilk Pie.
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### Author:  [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/15 "2005-07-06T05:30:33Z")
Buttermilk has been known to be the secret ingredient in many meatloaf and italian meatball recipes - maybe cuz it’s an easy way to rid yourself of a half pint at a time
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/16 "2005-07-06T06:10:48Z")
> [@Baker](#):
>
> **Buttermilk Pie**
>
> 4 6 ounces butter
> 1 1-1/2 cup sugar
> 1/4 3/8 cup flour
> 3 4-1/2 eggs, slightly beaten
> 1 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
> 1 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
> Melt the butter, place in a mixing bowl and stir in sugar and flour, until smoothly blended. Stir in the eggs and mix well, then stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into an unbaked piecrust, and bake at 350 degrees Farenheit until set.
>
> The first set of measurements is for a smaller pie, and the second set is for a larger one.
>
> This pie has a pleasing flavor sort of like cheesecake. You can top it with fruit if you wish, or a fruit sauce.
> [@Baker](#):
>
> OK, I should have previewed, those numbers weren’t spread as far apart as I thought they would be.
>
> 4 --------- 6 ounces butter
> 1 --------- 1-1/2 cups sugar
> 1/4 ------ 3/8 cups flour
> 3--------- 4-1/2 eggs
> 1--------- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
> 1--------- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
> [@UrbanChic](#):
>
> It’s late and I’m tired so would you mind explaining what three four and one half eggs means, please?
My second post seperated the numbers. For a smaller pie use three eggs, for the larger use 4-1/2 eggs. I was just making it 50% larger, and couldn’t figure out how else to say it. You can use either 4 eggs or 5, it won’t make that much difference.
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### Author:  [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/17 "2005-07-06T12:02:37Z")
If’n you like to make bread, here’s a recipe for Naan.
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp yeast
2 tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1 tsp to 1 tbsp water as needed for correct consistency
knead it, rise it, punch it, knead it, rise it, break it into four bits, roll it flat and cook it on a pizza stone at 475 for 6-7 minutes or even better on your backyard grill, liberally coated with more melted butter.
FYI, I’ve always made mine w/ the yogurt, so if’n you decide to try let us know how it turned out.
Jack
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/18 "2005-07-06T13:09:48Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#):
>
> No, no, no! Send it to me- I love it!
>
> You could also try making biscuits or cornbread with it.
My dad liked it too. I could never choke it down.
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/19 "2005-07-06T13:35:24Z")
I use buttermilk for my cornbread. The recipe is from Bobby Flay’s _Bold American Food_.
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### Author:  [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-do-with-buttermilk/311235/20 "2005-07-06T13:49:22Z")
My father used to crumble cornbread into a large glass.
Then fill with buttermilk. And drink it.
Buttermilk gives me the creeps to this day.
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