Authentic Buttermilk starter culture

It is very easy to make buttermilk using our Buttermilk starter culture. All you need is milk and this starter, made by the former state dairy factory of Bulgaria. Nazdrave!

What is Buttermilk?

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink that used to be the milk that was left to sit for a period of time to allow the cream and milk to separate. During this time fermentation separated the milk and cream. The cream was then churned into butter and the leftover liquid was buttermilk.

Cultured buttermilk is a product that resembles traditional buttermilk. It is made using milk inoculated with lactic acid bacteria and is more viscous than traditional buttermilk. Buttermilk that is cultured for a longer time will even get to the consistency of yogurt. Cultured buttermilk is full of probiotics that bring enormous benefits to your health.

About this Buttermilk starter culture

This Buttermilk starter makes the real Buttermilk of exceptional quality with a traditional rich flavor and a fresh mild taste with just a slight tartness.

You can adjust the thickness of your buttermilk by controlling the time of incubation, making it anywhere from just a fermented alternative to milk to a thick, creamy, and smooth yogurt-like buttermilk, thus making it ideal for drinking, eating,  cooking, etc. In addition, you can use our Buttermilk starter to make other cultured fermented products like cultured butter, sour cream, clubber milk, crème fraîche, whipped cream, and more.

Mesophilic starter culture

Buttermilk is a mesophilic product, which means you can culture it at room temperature.

Content

• 2 grams of heirloom mesophilic yoghurt starter. This is an heirloom Buttermilk starter with live active bacteria, which means that you can reuse yogurt from your previous batch to culture your new batch, for as long as you live.
• 1 bag is enough for 4 liters of yoghurt.
• The starter is completely natural without preservatives, additives, artificial colors, or flavors. It does not contain GMO ingredients and is gluten-free.
• Produced in Bulgaria
• Allergens: milk

Micro-organisms

Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei

Storage instructions

In the freezer. Also store the starter in the freezer in a ziplock bag after use, or vacuumed. The starter is very hydrophilic – if there is moisture in the package, it will deteriorate the quality. Shelf life is 2 years in the freezer.

How to make Buttermilk

You can use any milk – cows, sheep, goats, skim milk, whole milk, raw, pasteurized, sterilized, it always works!

Ingredients for 1 liter

• 1 liter of milk
• 1 /4th teaspoon Buttermilk starter

This method relies on keeping the milk warm during incubation, which speeds up the process by making the culturing environment more beneficial to the development and procreation of the lactic acid bacteria.

Preparation

1. Heat up the milk to just over  75°C (not needed if you use UHT milk)
2. Set aside a cup from the milk
3. Keep the rest of the milk in the container you heated it in (or distribute it to the culturing containers – 1L mason jars work best)
4. When the milk in the cup is at 30°C (it will feel lukewarm to the touch), add the starter from the pack to it then gently stir it until it dissolves for about a minute (You are adding the starter to the milk in the cup, not to the milk in the containers!)
5. When the rest of the milk (in the containers) is ready, at around 32°C, distribute the milk from the cup (the one with the starter) to the jars, proportionally to their volume.
6. Gently stir the milk in the jars. At no time whisk; this will introduce air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation.
7. Place a blanket in your microwave (or oven). Microwaves and ovens are thermo-insulated and preserve heat.
8. Place the jars on the blanket and loosely cover the jars with their lids or a towel.
9. Cover with and wrap around another blanket and make sure the blankets are covering the jars from all directions to minimize heat loss. This will make sure that the jars stay warm all throughout the incubation process.
10. Leave overnight for about 8 hours. Check if the buttermilk has set, if it hasn’t then leave it for a couple of more hours, and keep checking a couple of hours apart, until it sets.
11. Move to the fridge and keep it there for at least 2 hrs before consumption. Cooling the buttermilk will help it thicken and improve its taste.
12. Nazdrave!

Do not forget to save a cup of the ready-made yogurt to use for making your next batch; just keep it in the fridge and make sure you use it to make your new yogurt within 3-4 days to ensure all bacteria are viable and in great condition.

If you want to test if the process is working, just dip a knife straight down into the milk and take it out. If the knife is slimy then the culture is working, if not then incubation hasn’t started yet and you’ll need to wait a bit longer to test again.

Buying a Buttermilk starter culture?

Order your Buttermilk starter culture at startercultures.eu, the European webshop for all your fermentation needs. By Meneer Wateetons, renowned Dutch fermentation expert and author. Order on weekdays before  3 pm and we’ll ship the same day.  Questions on the usage of the starter kit? Ask them in our chat, we’re here to help!

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