Buttermilk in Irish recipes

[Jane Gillett]

Bought an book that looked interesting in a charity shop last week. Recipes
from "Country Markets". Found when I got it home that it was Irish country
markets - even better!

Several bread recipes He wants to try (he makes all our bread); most if not
all specify buttermilk. The question is what to use for this.

These will be traditional recipes probably although may have "mutated" a
little with life. What would buttermilk have been in the past and now in
Ireland? I believe that traditionally it's the liquid left when cream has
been churned for butter but also understand that the meaning is not the
same in US (which has a special relationship, socially at least, with
Ireland so the meaning of the term may be closer to Irish tradition). A
quick and admittedly limited google gave that apart from the churning
explanation, buttermilk is made commercially using skimmed milk to which a
biological culture is added. Isn't this a low-fat yoghurt - depending on
what culture, of course?

So what do people think the bread recipes in question call for, please, and
where do I get it?

AFAICS the only thing that comes to mind is to buy skimmed milk and use
that as is; not sure if I want it cultured and anyway where would the
culture come from? And haven't we got enough bugs in yeast to meet whatever
requirements the dough needs? What does the culture in the buttermik
achieve particularly?

TIA as they say
Jane

[Janet]

Post by Jane Gillett
So what do people think the bread recipes in question call for, please, and
where do I get it?

We , including you, discussed all this in great detail just one month
ago in a thread called "Question about buttermilk", archived in
googlegroups.

You posted at least six times in that thread asking the same questions
and I know you saw the answers because you requoted them.

http://tinyurl.com/p8vyqcd



Janet

[Tim C.]

Post by Jane Gillett
What does the culture in the buttermik
achieve particularly?

It makes it sour and clots it, like, as you say, yoghurt, or kefir ... but
it gives it a different taste and consistency of course.

[Tim C.]

Post by Jane Gillett
not sure if I want it cultured and anyway where would the
culture come from?

It would have originally been a natural culture, as a yoghurt or
ginger-beer plant or mother-of-vinegar are natural, and vital parts of the
process.
Nowadays, kept, cleaned, bred for food hygiene and economics. You'd need
the culture, otherwise it'd just be sour skimmed milk.

[Giusi]

Post by Jane Gillett
AFAICS the only thing that comes to mind is to buy skimmed milk and use
that as is; not sure if I want it cultured and anyway where would the
culture come from? And haven't we got enough bugs in yeast to meet whatever
requirements the dough needs? What does the culture in the buttermik
achieve particularly?

It's the acid wanted. I use kefir or fermented milk, but you can add lemon juice or vinegar to plain milk and let it sit for a minute. The bacteria used for fermentation are thought to be good for humans, like yoghurt. I am reading an 1887 cookbook and I see the same thing, but they tell you what else to use if you haven't buttermilk. Remember, cream was held a week before making butter, so naturally occurring fermentation was included.

[Jane Gillett]

Post by Giusi

Post by Jane Gillett
AFAICS the only thing that comes to mind is to buy skimmed milk and use
that as is; not sure if I want it cultured and anyway where would the
culture come from? And haven't we got enough bugs in yeast to meet whatever
requirements the dough needs? What does the culture in the buttermik
achieve particularly?

It's the acid wanted. I use kefir or fermented milk, but you can add lemon juice or vinegar to plain milk and let it sit for a minute. The bacteria used for fermentation are thought to be good for humans, like yoghurt. I am reading an 1887 cookbook and I see the same thing, but they tell you what else to use if you haven't buttermilk. Remember, cream was held a week before making butter, so naturally occurring fermentation was included.

So - a food acid for flavour. THankyou Guisi.
Cheers
jane