Buttermilk Is The Secret Ingredient For Amped-Up Breakfast Sausage Patties

Making breakfast sausage patties at home is a simple and delicious way to enhance any breakfast spread. The process is easy and inexpensive, and the results can either be eaten plain alongside eggs and toast or used to make mouthwatering homemade breakfast sandwiches. Homemade breakfast patties are even better than store-bought sausage links, and there's no special equipment needed to make them. Simply mix together plain ground pork with your preferred spice and herb mixture and shape into patties, then fry.

If you want to get a little fancy, though, there's an extra ingredient that can elevate those breakfast sausage patties to the next level of succulent, porky goodness. A splash of buttermilk in the mix keeps the patties moist while frying, leaving you with a tender result without needing to add in unnecessary additional filler ingredients. Buttermilk provides a rich mouthfeel without needlessly increasing the sausage's fat content as well, sealing in moisture without adding grease. The results will leave you reaching for another at the breakfast table!

Buttermilk isn't milk mixed with butter, it's the liquid that's left over after the butter-making process. It's a slurry of water, lactose, milk protein, and a very low amount of residual fat. This liquid is then fermented with live cultures, which thickens it up, adds an acidic tang, and makes the liquid a useful tool when cooking and baking.

The acid in buttermilk works alongside baking soda to increase rise in dough and batter, making it a popular ingredient for fluffy pancakes, moist vanilla cake, biscuits, and more. In savory situations, the acids in the liquid make proteins more tender, acting as an excellent marinade ingredient; it also works well in any application where a vinegary tang is welcome alongside a rich mouthfeel, such as mashed potatoes.

Adding about ¾ of a cup of buttermilk to 2 ½ pounds of ground pork makes a good proportion for the best breakfast sausage patties. Be sure to liberally season with your preferred spices and herbs, some good options are sage, nutmeg, and a touch of brown sugar.

If you can't get buttermilk easily, or need it in a pinch and can't run to the store, there's a simple hack for making a decent substitution. All you need is milk (any fat content) and an acidic liquid; the best liquids to use are lemon juice or white vinegar.

Measure out 1 cup of milk, then mix in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken. You can then measure out the resulting liquid and use it in any sweet or savory application that you would use regular buttermilk.

While nothing will completely replace the real deal, this quick substitution works well in a pinch. And for a recipe like breakfast sausage patties, where the acidity of the buttermilk isn't needed to promote rising like in dough or batter, the result will be just as juicy as if you used regular buttermilk.