I've been tripped out on culturing lately, getting bored with sourdough
and now I'm on dairy. I love buttermilk and was amazed the first time
I created new buttermilk from a few drops of the old.

Anyway, I took some store-bought buttermilk containing L. bulgaricus and
combined it with some store-bought sour cream containing unknown strains.
I couldn't believe how much thicker it was and I can make it even thicker
by adding more cream and/or powdered milk. Use powdered milk and you can
reduce the fat to nearly zero and still maintain something very similar
in texture to sour cream. And so incredibly sour! And it also doesn't
curdle when you cook it like buttermilk often does. It took about 4 or 5
days, maybe 2 full days in the oven with the light on at about 85F, then
another 2 days or so at about 70F until it was a thick and tangy mess.

My recipe consists of approx:

Old World Style Bulgarian Buttermilk
Knudsen New Hampshire Sour Cream
Liquid Milk
Powdered Milk
Cream (optional)
Sodium Chloride (dash)
Potassium Chloride (dash)

Mix ingredients and stir vigorously to aerate, then incubate between 80F
and 90F for several days until mixture solidifies.

Good for dips and I love in creamy soups, especially Cream of Chicken,
Cheddar Cheese, and Tomato. It seems to blend well with melted cheese,
making it a good addition to macaroni and cheese if you like tangy.

brainfart wrote:
> I've been tripped out on culturing lately, getting bored with sourdough
> and now I'm on dairy. I love buttermilk and was amazed the first time
> I created new buttermilk from a few drops of the old.
>
> Anyway, I took some store-bought buttermilk containing L. bulgaricus and
> combined it with some store-bought sour cream containing unknown strains.
> I couldn't believe how much thicker it was and I can make it even thicker
> by adding more cream and/or powdered milk. Use powdered milk and you can
> reduce the fat to nearly zero and still maintain something very similar
> in texture to sour cream. And so incredibly sour! And it also doesn't
> curdle when you cook it like buttermilk often does. It took about 4 or 5
> days, maybe 2 full days in the oven with the light on at about 85F, then
> another 2 days or so at about 70F until it was a thick and tangy mess.
>
> My recipe consists of approx:
>
> Old World Style Bulgarian Buttermilk
> Knudsen New Hampshire Sour Cream
> Liquid Milk
> Powdered Milk
> Cream (optional)
> Sodium Chloride (dash)
> Potassium Chloride (dash)
>
> Mix ingredients and stir vigorously to aerate, then incubate between 80F
> and 90F for several days until mixture solidifies.
>
> Good for dips and I love in creamy soups, especially Cream of Chicken,
> Cheddar Cheese, and Tomato. It seems to blend well with melted cheese,
> making it a good addition to macaroni and cheese if you like tangy.


I've often wondered if commercial buttermilk had active cultures. I'm not
sure your post answers this; is "Old World Style Bulgarian Buttermilk" a
boutique buttermilk with active cultures? Or is it, say, Aldi's store
brand of plain old cultured buttermilk?

Bob