Will milk + lemon juice work as a buttermilk substitute in yeasted dough?
Yes, at 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes. The acid curdles the milk, mimicking buttermilk's acidity and thickness. Bake-test before scaling up.
Best Buttermilk Substitutes for Yeasted Breads
Prioritize substitutions that protect gluten development and fermentation performance. Bread dough is less forgiving than quick bakes. Structure and fermentation can collapse with poor substitutions.
Can I make bread without buttermilk?
Yes. Start with Milk + Lemon Juice at 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes, then adjust liquid or bake time in small steps after a test batch.
Top Recommendation
Milk + Lemon Juice
Use 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes
The acid curdles the milk, mimicking buttermilk's acidity and thickness.
View full adjustment notes →How much does 1 cup of buttermilk weigh?
On CupOrGram, 1 cup of buttermilk is treated as 245 grams. Use the conversion page if you want the original ingredient weight before choosing a substitute.
Buttermilk cups to grams →