Struck by morning blues? We have a quick solution - whip up a yummy breakfast. All you would need is some buttermilk and be sorted for the first meal of your day. Buttermilk, for the unversed, is a dairy-based product that is fermented and churned out after cultured cream is added to butter. This residual liquid is often obtained through addition of lactic acid in milk.
While buttermilk is a popular Indian summer drink known as chaas, the same can also be used as a souring agent for many dishes. Be it a South Indian dosa or the Western waffles, breakfast dishes like these often have buttermilk variants that taste delicious. The concoction is added to the batter and the resulting dish is a delightful treat.
If you have some buttermilk to spare, put it to good use by adding it to these recipes for breakfast.
1. Buttermilk Scones
This Scottish delight is believed to have originated as a tea time sweet bread in the 1500s. While the first ones were originally made with oats, these scones use wheat flour mixed with buttermilk. Since buttermilk contains more acid than regular milk, it slightly affects the leavening process. The flour and buttermilk are kneaded into a dough that is given a round shape, baked to perfection with a drizzle of milk on top.
2. Buttermilk Waffles
While the origin of waffles has generally fallen into the lap of both the Netherlands and Belgium, these waffles make use of buttermilk along with the all-purpose flour to give it shape. Cast in iron plates with rectangular shapes, the waffles are prepared with a leavened batter that is then topped with a variety of ingredients like chocolate sauce, ice cream, fruit syrups and cream.
3. Buttermilk Dosa
The staple South Indian breakfast that is a hit in many parts of North India too, dosa is a desi crepe made with rice flour. This recipe gives a sweet and sour dosa, where buttermilk is added to soaked rice batter. This is then fermented for a few hours after which it is poured on a pan and cooked until crisp from both sides. Serve hot with coconut chutney and mint chutney.
4. Buttermilk Cornbread
This soft and mildly sweet bread is a delicious way to amp up your breakfast. Ground cornmeal and all purpose flour are mixed together to form a thick batter. A well-stirred buttermilk mix is added to this. This is then flavoured with eggs, sugar, peanut oil, and kosher salt. Spread in a baking container, the bread is baked until golden-brown and sliced into pieces for serving.
5. Buttermilk Idlis
The steamed rice cakes from South India are yet another breakfast special in many parts of the country. The rice flour batter is flavoured with semolina or rava very often and in this recipe, buttermilk is added to it. Mustard seeds are also added to the mix. These are then steamed in an idli maker and paired with coconut chutney and sambar. These are wholesome and light breakfast bites that can be made hassle-free.