Hi Elizabeth, we think we explain the difference between the cups of flour. At King Arthur Flour, we measure our flour in a way that ensures a very light cup (one that weighs about 4 1/4 ounces). Most other bakers scoop their flour directly into the cup, compacting it as they go, which results in a heavier cup. The 2 cups of flour measured by scooping and packing will be about the same as 3 cups measured like this.

As for your question about the buttermilk, we're glad you asked. When making our test batches with buttermilk, we did some side-by-side comparisons with versions made using half the amount of baking soda in place of the baking powder (a general rule of thumb when substituting buttermilk for regular milk), and surprisingly, we found the baking powder only version was just as lofty and tasty as the baking soda version. This is probably because of how much rise comes from the fat steaming and creating flakes and layers as it bakes. To keep things simple, we didn't feel it necessary to add a tip about adjusting the leavener when using buttermilk in this case. Kye@KAF

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