HOW TO MAKE BUTTER FROM CREAM
By:
EVOO Cookbook
We believe many people have “accidently” made butter while whipping cream. The phone rings, you get distracted and the cream over-whips and separates into fat and milk solids. And who can forget making butter in school by shaking a carton of whipping cream until it breaks into fat and milk solids. The result is a fresh tasting sweet, unsalted butter.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whipping cream, NOT ultra pasteurized
- an 8 inch square double layer of cheesecloth
Method:
Place cream in a mixer bowl with paddle attachment. Wrap mixer with plastic film around bowl and top of mixer or cover with clean dish towel to catch the splashing cream.
Place mixer on medium setting and begin to mix until cream begins to set up, approximately 5 minutes. As cream becomes firm, increase to a slightly higher speed and continue to mix until cream, now butter, separates from whey/water. This can take several minutes and the plastic will contain most of the mess.
Once the butter solids have formed and congeal around he paddle, turn machine off and unwrap plastic or remove tea towel. Clean up any mess that may have occurred during beating.
Remove butter solids to the center of the 8″ square of double cheesecloth. Gather the ends of the cloth up and gently squeeze out the water over the bowl. Place the cheesecloth with butter ball into a bowl of ice to encourage all the water to come out of the butter. The milky water that remains in the bowl after removing the butter is “uncultured” buttermilk.
Uncultured buttermilk can be used for baking and some people might even drink it. Store this in an empty container and return to butter. By now the ice will have set up the butter, seizing it so that the water inside purges out. Gently squeeze butter ball again to assist with this and then remove the butter to your service container.
Store the completed butter in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving so it is soft an spreadable.
Remember that when making butter from cream most of the salt will remain in the water, or “buttermilk.” This then can be considered unsalted butter, sometimes referred to as “sweet” butter.
We sometimes place a thin layer of flavored salt on top of the butter before serving.
NOTE: We do not recommend the making of fresh butter from cream for regular use or for cooking. It is too expensive to make this way, but for a special flavored or herbed butter that goes with fresh made bread, it is remarkably worth the effort and price!
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