June 1, 2017 - 2:59am
what does buttermilk bring to the party
just a query. Im just wondering what buttermilk brings to a dough and how it effects it. I presume it works the same way a mix of yoghurt and milk does? Is that right - a sort of acidic twang...on a related note i have a recipe for a oat and wheat bread that uses half water/milk and i was thinking of swapping in some buttermilk as i like the taste of irish soda bread (which uses buttermilk)...any thoughts? The other option is to use whey which i have loads of as i make my own yoghurt
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A lot will depend on the fermentation . . . whether you're using sourdough or yeast, whether you're doing a long and cold or a hot and fast fermentation, your kneading technique, etc. I think that buttermilk will add a nice twang to the party, but the crumb probably won't be as soft as it would be with milk or yogurt, since buttermilk won't be bringing much (if any) fat to the party.
ok so its all about fat content. fat = lovely soft texture ie. like butter, full fat milk, yoghurt. Whereas whey and buttermilk will give you a twang but no soft texture.
As for fermentation i use 22% levain in my sourdough but do it all in one day (no retardation) and make a poolish for 15 - 18 hours for yeast breads which i generally make as sandwich loaves.
My last bread had fermented oats in it so that will bring its own sourness however im trying to figure out if fermented oats will add to the rising properties of the bread?
Is often used in soda breads, because if its acidity, as the catalyst for the baking soda.
I've made plenty an irish soda bread with it just wondering how else it can be used - I presume it can be replaced by yogurt or whey to achieve similar tartness?
I often use my home made kefir in place of some or all of the milk in a recipe, generally for enriched pan loaves. There are a few differences here - commercial buttermilk is not like the original buttermilk (i.e. what's left after you remove the butter churned from the milk), it's more like milk with a bacterial culture added. So I think there is probably fat in commercial buttermilk. Similarly, yogurt can have different levels of fat (0%, 1%, 4%, etc.), and has bacterial culture (may be live or not and is limited to certain strains). Kefir can be made from any kind of milk (even non-dairy), so has varying levels of fat. The good thing is, it contains not only many, many strains of beneficial bacteria but also yeasts (as it is made through the efforts of a SCOBY or 'symbiotic combination of bacteria and yeasts'. So I guess they all bring different things to the party, changing the texture of bread (making it softer); changing the flavour; and/or changing the rise.
Wow lots of info thanks so much - I like buttermilk in things and love yoghurt so I might play with them as for kefir I must start making that as I'm already making yogurt - thanks for the low down :)
Reinhart uses buttermilk in the soakers for his whole wheat loaves (as found in "Whole Grain Breads"). Buttermilk brings a lot of taste and acidity to the dough.
<http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/20099/peter-reinhart039s-100-whole-wheat-sandwich>
thats a god idea...i love wholewheat so might do that thanks alot...Hamelman has a good butttermilk bread recipe too - i just got his book - so thats two to try : )