Real Buttermilk: The Old-Fashioned Way to Nourish Your Family
You’re trying to feed your children real, nourishing food on a regular basis.
Add this recipe to your breakfast menu.
Let’s talk about buttermilk.
You’ve heard of it — probably in old recipes or from your great-grandma’s kitchen. But real buttermilk isn’t what most of us think it is anymore.
Originally, buttermilk was simply the liquid left behind after churning butter. You churn cream, the butterfat separates… and what you’re left with is butter and buttermilk. That’s it. Simple. Traditional. Nourishing.
Over time, things changed.
What most people call buttermilk today is actually cultured milk. And the important part? The culturing.
Culturing (or “souring”) is when beneficial bacteria multiply and create the natural acids that give buttermilk its tang — and that magical lift in pancakes and breads. That’s what makes those fluffy, golden stacks possible.
Store-bought buttermilk is often a different story. Many brands add thickeners and extra ingredients. It works, sure — but it’s not the same.
If you want the real thing, start with real cream.
Raw cream is ideal because it already contains the beneficial bacteria needed to culture naturally.
So how do you make it?
Option 1 (the simplest):
Take a quart of fresh raw cream from a trusted local dairy and let it sit at room temperature for 1–2 days. That’s it.
Option 2:
Use pasteurized cream and add a mesophilic starter culture. I’ve purchased mine both locally and online. This will give you a properly cultured buttermilk.
And just like that — you have beautiful, homemade buttermilk.
But honestly? The best part isn’t just the recipe.
It’s knowing exactly where it came from. A cow out in the pasture — soaking up sunshine, rain, and fresh air — turning grass into something that nourishes my family.
That matters to me.
Now… what are we making with it?
Buttermilk pancakes. No sugar. Yes, really.
And my kids devour them.
You can download the recipe below to save or print.
With love,
Halie