Jeff Miller wrote:

> (Somewhat off topic, the loaves I make with instant yeast rise very, very high whenever I use
> buttermilk. I've done some searching, but haven't found anything that really explains why
> that might be -- anyone have an idea? Or am I deceiving myself again that buttermilk might
> be the culprit? Adding buttermilk to whole wheat sourdough just seems silly, but, what do I
> know?)


Ed Bechtel replies:

Jeff, buttermilk is like a single acting baking powder. I don't know
why. In the old days, they didn't have baking powder. One would keep a
jar of clabbored milk (sp) on the back of the stove which was just
fresh milk that sat around and soured. Or one would use buttermilk. Or
one would use milk with a little vinegar added. In either case things
like biscuits, pancakes, or quickbreads would use the sour milk and
maybe a pinch of baking soda (not powder) to achieve the rise. Sounds
like your yeast breads work so quickly that the buttermilk rise is
still active and giving some assist.

By the way. Biscuits or muffins made with just buttermilk and no baking
powder are the best - you should try them.

Ed Bechtel