Sourdough Starter (Buttermilk)
Submitted by ingridmy
Sourdough starter using buttermilk shortcuts the wild yeast game by seeding flour and water with cultured buttermilk. Bubbly, tangy starter ready in 3 to 5 days for breads and pancakes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minSourdough starter using buttermilk takes a shortcut on the classic wild-yeast capture method. The lactic acid bacteria already living in the buttermilk give the starter a head start, so what normally takes 7 to 10 days of feeding and faith comes alive in 3 to 5. The flavor profile leans tangier and more dairy-rich than wild sourdough, which suits pancakes, biscuits, and quick yeast breads especially well.
Use a glass bowl, never metal. The acid in the developing starter reacts with reactive metals like aluminum and gives off flavors. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, just enough to keep dust out while letting some air exchange happen.
A cold-packed cheese crock makes the ideal storage vessel, but any tight-lidded glass jar works. Just leave room for the starter to expand as it ferments.
Kitchen Tips
- Use unbleached all-purpose flour. Bleached flour can slow or kill the starter culture.
- Keep the bowl in a warm spot, 70°F to 80°F (21°C to 27°C) is ideal for fast development
- Refresh with equal parts flour and water at least once a week to keep the starter healthy
- A healthy starter doubles in size when fed and smells tangy-yeasty, not vinegary or alcoholic
- A clear liquid layer (hooch) on top is normal. Just stir it back in.
Variations
- Use kefir or plain yogurt thinned with water in place of buttermilk
- Sub whole wheat or rye flour for half the all-purpose for a more rustic deep flavor
- Switch to a 100% rye starter for darker, more pungent breads
Ingredients
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in warm part of kitchen for 3 to 5 days.
Starter can be stored in refrigerator and must be used in 1 week or “refreshed".
Use a “crock” from a “cold-packed cheese” to store, cover tightly.
Recipe makes about 2 cups of starter.
PROOFING:
Bring starter to room temperature.
In a glass bowl, combine all of the starter with, 1½ cups of flour and 1 cup of water.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 12 hours.
TO USE:
Measure 2 cups of “proofed” starter and set aside.
Return remaining starter to it’s “crock” and refrigerate until needed again.
NOTE:
This starter keeps getting better and better with age.
So be sure to use it at least once a week or refreshen it.
Comments
Was looking for a non-yeast sourdough starter recipe...my search engine found this one. Very grateful. Thanks.
Totally new to this. Will you tell me what you mean by refresh? And please simplify your explanation so someone who never turned on her oven can understand.
Thanks
Do you refresh with flour and water, or flour and buttermilk? Sugar?
What is meant by refreshing is also referred to as feeding. Some say take out a percentage and replace it with the same amount as you have taken out. So if you take out 1 cup you will want to replace it with 1 cup of of feeding mixture in this case you want to use 1/2 cup Butter milk & 1/2 cup of Flour. Note you can make your own Buttermilk by mixing 1/4 cup of Buttermilk and regular milk (Whole milk will make a thicker Buttermilk, 2% thinner Buttermilk) Per QT. Let sit out for 12 to 24 Note This is basically how the dairy makes it. If you look at the carton you buy in the store it says cultured meaning they add the bacteria to the milk to make it turn into Buttermilk. here are some other ways to make your Buttermilk:
1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to measure 1 cup
1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to measure 1 cup
1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup buttermilk = 1 and ¾ teaspoon cream of tarter + 1 cup of milk
I have never tried the other methods I have always used the Buttermilk with milk method and it works. PS you can make sour cream by adding Buttermilk to cream and let it sit out for a day. Also what we call Buttermilk is not true Buttermilk true Buttermilk comes from the liquid left after churning the milk or cream to make butter.
Thank you for mentioning that we don't get "real" buttermilk because it's all cultured if it is store-bought. I miss the real stuff with the tiny chunks of butter in it. Now that's making for a tremendous sourdough starter.
Yeah, me too. My grandmama used to churn milk from her cow and that was the real stuff. Gone are the days!
Thank you. I made the starter as stated above. I live in a hot climate and the kitchen temperature was 30 degrees Celsius (86F) of day 1. I left it there for 1 and had days and then moved it to my bedroom where the air conditioning is switched on. day temperature is 27C (80.6F) in day at night to 24C (75.2F) and left t there for 1 and half days. On day three, it had nice sour smell, creamy liquid texture but also some pieces of this blackish skin had formed. There was no foul smell. It the starter still goo to be used for baking? There are no pink/ orange steaks ether and no other mould.
Thankyou in advance for your advise.
I was so interested in the answer. I’m disappointed nobody responded.
That is referred to as “hooch”. It’s normal. Mix it up and go on as usual. Hooch is good, you’re producing a lot of good bacteria.
anyone knows how to use this buttermilk sourdough starter in a bread recipe?
Thanks
The same way you make Sourdough bread those are posted all over the internet. Also try Alaskan Sourdough Biscuit you will like them. :)
Do you have a sourdough bread recipe that uses this starter?
Didn’t have luck with this but I recommend Kefir , whole meal organic rye flour and some peel from mouldy fallen apples - Definitely works!
The sourdough starter acts as the yeast in making the bread rise. You can use it in buttermilk sourdough recipes or plain sourdough bread recipes. Just Google "sourdough bread recipes from starter" or "buttermilk sourdough bread recipes from starter". I have always had the best luck with recipes in which you weigh the ingredients.
You should be able to feed (refresh) your starter with equal amounts of flour and water. I use 1/4 cup of each once a week when I store it in the fridge. I pull it out the night before I am going to use it and feed it with half a cup and let it get active overnight.
Some say discard and replace a 1/4 C. of starter and replace with your feeder mix or give it away.
Worth noting your Sourdough Starter is yours as it will change over time as the wild yeast takes over. So your neighbors may not be the same as yours. :)
When you make buttermilk with lemon juice it is not the same as fermented buttermilk. It has no microorganisms, it is just made sour. You want the microorganisms in a sourdough starter. That is what makes the bread rise.