Prep Time : 5 + 60 Minutes | Cook Time : 0 Minutes | Total Time : Overnight | Difficulty : A bit messy
Hello my lovelies! I’m a fan of butter. Especially on toast. There’s nothing like it. And I can’t go past a good DIY. Cultured butter tastes more buttery. If you can believe it. Which you should. The flavour is intensified and a slight acidity balances it out. And it’s super easy to do. We are basically going to make a light yoghurt using double cream. Then whip it to separate the glorious butter. A bit of rinsing and you’re moments away from an epic toast experience. You need to allow a bit of time to do the beating and rinsing. And you need to start the process before bed the night before. If you want a more intense cultured flavour start an extra day in advance the let the culturing go a bit longer. We should all be prepared in advance for this to make a bit of a mess. Clear the bench so nothing gets drops of cream on it and have a cleaning cloth handy to keep things under control. We need to use a fresh natural yoghurt with no sweeteners or additives because we want to capture the live yoghurt cultures.
You will need to gently warm the cream to blood temperature. Whisk the cream first to re-incorporate any separated fat. It should feel lukewarm when you put a finger in it. Whisk the yoghurt into the cream and cover. Just so nothing falls in.
Leave out at room temperature overnight. This will keep it warm enough for the cultures to work their magic. In the morning give it a taste. It should taste a little bit like yoghurt and have thickened slightly. This is good. Now put the cream back into the fridge to chill. It needs to be very cold. Cold cream will separate faster and more thoroughly.
Pour the cold cream into a the bowl of a stand mixer or a deep bowl to use with a hand-held mixer. It will splash a bit as you go so putting a tea-towel over the top can help keep things tidy.
Whisk on medium high. The cream will whip, then get dry and then the fat will separate out. You will hear a lumpy sloshing sound when the two parts separate.
When all the butterfat has separated pour the whole lot into a sieve over a bowl that has been lined with cheesecloth or a thin tea-towel. If you used a standing mixer now is a good time to wipe it down to make sure no drips of milk trickle into any corners where it’s hard to get them.
You want to squeeze out all the liquid you can.
Keep the buttermilk to use in something else if you like. When it’s as dry as you can get it we need to rinse it. In a shallow bowl or baking dish cover the butter in ice-water. The water needs to be very cold to keep the butter from melting. If you are finding it too soft to work at any point pop it in the fridge in a small bowl to firm up a bit.
Knead the butter in the water. The water will get cloudy as the extra bits of buttermilk are washed off. You may find a plastic bench scraper helps you a lot while you’re doing this step. Pat the butter out into a disc then fold it back on itself over and over. It will shrink a bit and get smoother as air and milky bits are worked out.
Empty out the cloudy water and replace with fresh ice-water. Repeat until the water stays clear. It will take at least 5 or 6 rinses to get there. Be patient.
Remove the butter from the water and pat it dry again with cheesecloth or a thin tea-towel. Sprinkle over 1/8 teaspoon salt and knead until the salt is distributed. If any more water comes out drain it off. The butter will soften as you do this with the warmth of your hands so don’t panic.
Wrap the butter in baking paper or transfer to a covered dish. Store the butter in the fridge until ready to use.
Get your toast on! Mmmmm melty…
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Homemade Cultured Butter
Prep Time : 5 + 60 mins | Cook Time : 0 mins | Total Time : overnight | Difficulty : a bit messy | Makes : 5 to 6 ounces
Creamy handmade butter with added complexity – perfect for fresh bread or toast!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (500 mls) heavy cream – around 35% butterfat
- 2 tablespoons fresh unsweetened yoghurt
- salt to taste, about 1/8 teaspoon
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Standing or hand held electric mixer
- cheesecloth or a thin tea-towel and sieve
- ice water
Directions:
You will need to gently warm the cream to blood temperature. Whisk the cream first to re-incorporate any separated fat. It should feel lukewarm when you put a finger in it. Whisk the yoghurt into the cream and cover. Just so nothing falls in.
Leave out at room temperature overnight. This will keep it warm enough for the cultures to work their magic. In the morning give it a taste. It should taste a little bit like yoghurt and have thickened slightly. This is good. Now put the cream back into the fridge to chill. It needs to be very cold. Cold cream will separate faster and more thoroughly.
Pour the cold cream into a the bowl of a stand mixer or a deep bowl to use with a hand-held mixer. It will splash a bit as you go so putting a tea-towel over the top can help keep things tidy.
Whisk on medium high. The cream will whip, then get dry and then the fat will separate out. You will hear a lumpy sloshing sound when the two parts separate.
When all the butterfat has separated pour the whole lot into a sieve over a bowl that has been lined with cheesecloth or a thin tea-towel. If you used a standing mixer now is a good time to wipe it down to make sure no drips of milk trickle into any corners where it’s hard to get them.
You want to squeeze out all the liquid you can.
Keep the buttermilk to use in something else if you like. When it’s as dry as you can get it we need to rinse it. In a shallow bowl or baking dish cover the butter in ice-water. The water needs to be very cold to keep the butter from melting. If you are finding it too soft to work at any point pop it in the fridge in a small bowl to firm up a bit.
Knead the butter in the water. The water will get cloudy as the extra bits of buttermilk are washed off. You may find a plastic bench scraper helps you a lot while you’re doing this step. Pat the butter out into a disc then fold it back on itself over and over.
Empty out the cloudy water and replace with fresh ice-water. Repeat until the water stays clear. It will take at least 5 or 6 rinses to get there. Be patient.
Remove the butter from the water and pat it dry again with cheesecloth or a thin tea-towel. Sprinkle over 1/8 teaspoon salt and knead until the salt is distributed. If any more water comes out drain it off. The butter will soften as you do this with the warmth of your hands so don’t panic.
Wrap the butter in baking paper or transfer to a covered dish. Store the butter in the fridge until ready to use.
Cook’s Notes:
- Don’t bother to add extra flavours to this butter, it will overwhelm the subtle tangy butteriness.
- Make sure you rinse the butter well. Little bits of trapped milk solids are what will go rancid over time. You won’t be able to get rid of every last trace but the more the better.
- If you want to keep this butter for longer, freeze portions and let them come to room temperature before using. You may need to whip it a little bit to break up the fat crystals after freezing.
– Keep this butter in the fridge for up to two weeks, let it come to room temperature before using –
Adapted from http://www.livinghomegrown.com.
© 2017 The Winsome Baker. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.
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