[Cheese] Buttermilk

[Corina]

Hi guys,

I make the buttermilk using milk that has been pasteurized but not 
homogenized (I buy it raw and pasteurize it at 145 F for 30 mins). I 
cool it completely (it is refrigerated overnight when I start) and 
then put in a few cubes of buttermilk that I froze from either a 
previous batch of my own, or from store-bought buttermilk. Then I 
just leave it out at room temperature until it's thick, and then put 
it in the fridge. When the weather is cold, I heat the milk to 70 
degrees to start.

The amount of milk I use varies a lot, but it seems to come out the 
same all the time. I figure the culture just grows until it has 
turned it all into buttermilk, so it takes longer for a bigger batch?

Peter wrote:
>Once the bacteria start dying, they leak some enzymes into the 
>milk... Some of these enzymes can break the casein molecules apart..

Hmm...interesting. What initiates the dying? Do they use the milk for 
food and eventually run out of the part they eat?

>Another thing: Most storebought buttermilk is homogenised,,

Does that keep it from separating? (I mean, besides the cream 
separating, of course!) I have noticed my buttermilk also separates 
over time.

Thanks for your input!
Corina