On 11/12/2020 at 10:59 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:I am flat stony broke at the moment but will probably purchase Chang's Pastry Love in the morning. One question: Chang says "buttermilk is always fat-free". Why would anyone in their right mind buy fat free buttermilk? It is disgusting. I make a point of keeping buttermilk in the refrigerator -- but only full-fat buttermilk.
I think what she's trying to say is that *actual* buttermilk — the liquid left behind from making butter — is fat free by definition, since the butter is the fat! As such, baking recipes that call for buttermilk are assuming a low or no fat product, and using a full fat product can change the results.
(I think all the buttermilk we can buy here is 1% — the stuff from Kate's is actually a byproduct of butter production and noticeably better, but it's <1% fat. I do remember seeing "whole buttermilk" back in the Midwest.)
