Quick Buttermilk Substitute

It's going to happen. More than once. You will be mid-recipe when you'll realize-yikes!-you don't have a vital ingredient. Ideally, you should make sure you have your entire ingredient list before beginning a recipe because sometimes your mental list of the contents of your pantry differs from the actual inventory of your pantry. Thank goodness for easy substitutes. In the case of buttermilk, all you need is regular milk and lemon juice or vinegar. It's not as good as the real thing, but it will do in a pinch!

Living in Spain, some recipes consist entirely of substitutes. It's very challenging and frustrating to be out of my element (pun) when cooking in another country, but it also forces me to get creative! I could not find buttermilk anywhere in the supermercado for my buttermilk pancakes, so I bought milk (which comes in a cardboard carton over here) and a lemon instead.

This recipe makes 1 cup of buttermilk. Multiply or divide to get the amount your recipe calls for. 

Buttermilk Substitute

Ingredients:
 
1 Tbsp acid (lemon juice or white vinegar)
15 Tbsp (just under 1 cup) dairy (milk, heavy cream, or half & half)

Directions: 

In a liquid measuring cup, combine acid and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes. Continue your recipe!