Buttermilk is a tangy, versatile addition to all kinds of recipes—biscuits and pancakes, of course, but also salad dressings, pasta sauces, and more.
Nashville Hot Chicken
The secret to Nashville’s famous hot chicken is in the layering: The bird is marinated in a spicy buttermilk brine, then dredged with more flour and spice, double-fried, and finally slathered with a fiery butter paste to create a crunchy, peppery coating. One bite into its burnished orange crust reveals first a tangy crunch, and then a deeper, complex spice that leaves a lingering fire behind. Adjust the heat by adding as much—or as little—cayenne as you like.
Boston Cream Pie
There’s an unwavering appeal to two layers of golden sponge cake sandwiching thick custard, all topped with a glossy layer of chocolate.
Banana-Oatmeal Muffins
Classic banana-nut muffins get a tangy boost from buttermilk and a hearty dose of oatmeal for a nutritionally-packed lunchbox (or breakfast) treat.
Devil’s Food Donuts
These donuts puff up visibly when they are ready to be removed from the frying oil. Get the recipe for Devil’s Food Donuts
Seeded Buttermilk Bread (Filmjölkslimpa)
This rustic whole wheat brown bread is sweetened with molasses and loaded with almonds and diverse seeds. Dense and nutty, it’s delicious smeared with sweet butter or as the basis for an open-face sandwich topped with sharp cheese, cucumber, and a juicy slice of tomato.
Thomas Keller’s Coconut Cake
Thick Italian meringue is sandwiched between moist layers of cake, which is topped off with sweetened shredded coconut in this recipe from chef Thomas Keller.
Eva Powell, a former elementary-school librarian in Mitchell, Indiana, has won the town’s pudding contest five times with her recipe for persimmon pudding with a crispy, cake-like crust.
Buttermilk Cluster
These soft dinner rolls are based on a popular recipe on the baking website TheFreshLoaf.com
King Cake
This traditional cake, made here with a rich brioche dough and stuffed with a decadent cream cheese filling, is drizzled with a buttermilk glaze and sprinkled with crunchy green, gold, and purple sanding sugars.
Carolina Cornbread
In some parts of the South, cooks prefer corn bread that’s slightly sweet, to counterbalance the salty, smoky flavors of vegetables stewed with pork.