It seems that this is an enormous time for adjustments in all of our lives, from physically distancing ourselves from one another to cooking most, if not all, of our meals at home. If you are like me, you’ve noticed that the grocers are sold out of many baking supplies, almost like it's the holiday season all year long!
I find it very encouraging and happy that more of us are cooking at home - my favorite pastime - so I’m sharing some options and adjustments that might be helpful when the store shelves are depleted.
If the recipe requests...
Buttermilk
Your substitute could be...
Regular milk with added acid. For each cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Mix and allow them to sit for about 5 minutes before using.
If the recipe requests...
Whole milk
Your substitute could be...
Mix lower fat milk with half and half or heavy cream to create the amount you need.
If...heavy cream...
Then...2/3 cup of whole milk plus 1/3 cup melted butter
If...all-purpose flour...
Then...Use self-rising flour but know that self-rising flour has added salt and baking powder already mixed in. OR the same amount of cake flour + 2 tablespoons.
If...lemon juice...
Then...Lime or orange juice. You can also use white vinegar in recipes calling for a small amount of acid - ¼ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar = 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
If...cake flour...
Then...One cup of all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
If...pecans...
Then...any nut will work.
If...sweetened condensed milk...
Then...2 cups whole milk, ¾ cup of sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk together milk and sugar in a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes or until reduced by about halk. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
If...sour cream...
Then...plain Greek yogurt.
If...wine...
Then...grape juice (be aware that this will be SWEET), stock, and/or lemon juice.
If...bread crumbs...
Then...crushed crackers, chips, pretzels, or unsweetened cereal.
When in doubt, try a small bit of something and see if you like it. For example, I’ve learned over the years, that stock and lemon juice creates a more flavorful sauce than water. Try different things, be creative, see what you can come up with that becomes part of your usual repertoire.
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