Buttermilk Substitute!!??

While browsing through Pinterest, I noticed some recipes for American Breakfast Pancakes and Breakfast Biscuits and in the lists of ingredients on every recipe called for Buttermilk. I have searched in a few grocery stores here, like Morrisons, ASDA, Sainsburys to find cartons of Buttermilk, but cant find any!!

Does anyone know where I can get it or what a good substitute is??

Thanks!!

Plain yogurt is meant to be a good substitute. Just google buttermilk substitutes and I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions.

You can make buttermilk as well: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-buttermilk-recipe.html

While browsing through Pinterest, I noticed some recipes for American Breakfast Pancakes and Breakfast Biscuits and in the lists of ingredients on every recipe called for Buttermilk. I have searched in a few grocery stores here, like Morrisons, ASDA, Sainsburys to find cartons of Buttermilk, but cant find any!!

Does anyone know where I can get it or what a good substitute is??

Thanks!!

I like to make American Pancakes from scratch as well and I have started making my own buttermilk.  My recipe calls for 3/4 cup of Buttermilk, so I pour out 3/4 of regular milk and add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and let it sit while I prepare the other ingredients.  It does curdle and it doesn't look appetizing, but it does the job!  I haven't tried it with vinegar yet, but I have tried it with lime juice when I was out of lemons.  Good luck!

Tesco sell buttermilk. 

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=254262853

Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsburys all sell buttermilk; it's in small cartons, not the larger quart or 1/2 gallon you would expect to see in the US.

I've done the 'making buttermilk' thing, and for some recipes it's fine. But buttermilk it is not, whether the 'traditional' liquid left after churning butter from cream or 'cultured buttermilk' made from milk inoculated with a culture of Lactococcus lactis plus Leuconostoc citrovorum. Some old cookbooks refer to milk with lemon juice or vinegar added as a 'sour milk substitute'.

Real buttermilk gives pancakes a muck lighter texture. Biscuits are also lighter and (IMHO) taste much better.

Your mileage may vary.

Thank you all so much for your help!! Will check out buttermilk the next time I am in Tescos!!!

My recipe calls for 3/4 cup of Buttermilk, so I pour out 3/4 of regular milk and add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and let it sit while I prepare the other ingredients.  It does curdle and it doesn't look appetizing, but it does the job! 

This is what I do too.

I don't really notice a difference in texture/flavour like vadio mentions, but this could also be because I never actually made pancakes from scratch until I moved here and couldn't find proper buttermilk. 

If you're very stuck or can't find the buttermilk, Betty Crocker has a fantastic pancake recipe that doesn't require buttermilk.

I grew up in the age of cooking from scratch. Before the microwave, and very few packaged/convenience foods. Cake mixes were around when I was a kid, but no cook worth their salt would use one.

I do use my microwave, but still make almost everything (except pasta) from scratch. So, there's a reason I notice the difference when using real buttermilk. It's the cross we gray-haired great-grandmother types have to carry.... 

I also have a couple of pancake recipes that just use milk. Perfectly acceptable, but if you can get real buttermilk, so much better.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
   
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
1.    In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2.    Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.