Howdy!

I am looking into a non-dairy substitute for buttermilk for a recipe I make a lot, specifically cornbread. I know I can do things with non-dairy milk, but I would like to see if I can use things I normally have on hand.

I understand that the buttermilk works as an acid to react with the rising agents I use (baking soda and powder), and would likely need something acidic in place of it. I am not sure if I actually need a milky option. I read in one single internet search that I could use aqua fava, but am unsure since that is mostly used in place of egg white.

I am tempted to use just water with a citrus (I have made cornbread with orange in the past) but have always used some dairy (yoghurt, sour cream, or actual buttermilk or even buttermilk powder). I generally make this for others, and learned recently that one in the group is lactose intolerant. I’d like to accommodate, my recipe is already gluten free and it would be awesome to make this happen without buying products I wouldn’t use otherwise.

I also use butter in this, but it is in a liquid state so that seems easy to replace with something like olive oil (if it can handle the heat).

Any bakers with background in this? Thanks!