Depending on where you live/shop, actual buttermilk might be difficult to find. The term buttermilk formerly referred to the liquid left behind after churning butter but nowadays refers to a cultured milk product not unlike drinkable yogurt. The only real buttermilk we've been able to find (in VT and MA) is Kate's Real Buttermilk ; even at the NYC Greenmarket, the best you can find is cultured buttermilk made with whole milk. At least attempt to avoid most grocery store buttermilk; it's made from skim milk with added thickeners and such, basically buttermilk without any richness, which is, like, what's the point? Oh, and no powdered buttermilk either...it messes with the texture too much. The point is, these arebuttermilk pancakes and they taste best with the best buttermilk you can get your mitts on. source: /09/10/the-worlds-best-pancake-recipe