Homemade Butter and Buttermilk
This is my first experience making homemade butter and buttermilk. Freshly made butter tastes very creamy, clean, and sweet. Because I cultured the cream first, the buttermilk had a rich and tangy flavor, with probably a bit more butter fat than commercial varieties. I can't wait to use it for baking.
This is how I made it:
1. Culture the cream (make crème fraîche) by adding 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to a pint of cream. Place in a sealed jar and keep at room temperature for 12-36 hours until thick. Mine took 20 hours to set. Ultra-pasteurized cream will take longer than pasteurized. Refrigerate after cream sets.
2. Pour crème fraîche into a food processor and blend until butter separates from the butter milk. This took about 5 minutes. I used the cream directly from the fridge, but I understand that the process is faster if you allow the cream to reach about 60 degrees first.
3. Pour contents in a strainer to remove buttermilk.
4. Return butter to processor, add ice water, and pulse to clean the butter. Drain liquid and repeat 2-3 times until water is no longer cloudy.
5. Place butter in a bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork to remove remaining water. Tilt bowl and pour off water as it accumulates.
6. Knead in a few pinches of salt if desired, mold butter, and refrigerate.
One pint of cream yielded about 6.5 ounces of butter and 3/4 cup buttermilk.
Homemade Butter and Buttermilk
This is my first experience making homemade butter and buttermilk. Freshly made butter tastes very creamy, clean, and sweet. Because I cultured the cream first, the buttermilk had a rich and tangy flavor, with probably a bit more butter fat than commercial varieties. I can't wait to use it for baking.
This is how I made it:
1. Culture the cream (make crème fraîche) by adding 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to a pint of cream. Place in a sealed jar and keep at room temperature for 12-36 hours until thick. Mine took 20 hours to set. Ultra-pasteurized cream will take longer than pasteurized. Refrigerate after cream sets.
2. Pour crème fraîche into a food processor and blend until butter separates from the butter milk. This took about 5 minutes. I used the cream directly from the fridge, but I understand that the process is faster if you allow the cream to reach about 60 degrees first.
3. Pour contents in a strainer to remove buttermilk.
4. Return butter to processor, add ice water, and pulse to clean the butter. Drain liquid and repeat 2-3 times until water is no longer cloudy.
5. Place butter in a bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork to remove remaining water. Tilt bowl and pour off water as it accumulates.
6. Knead in a few pinches of salt if desired, mold butter, and refrigerate.
One pint of cream yielded about 6.5 ounces of butter and 3/4 cup buttermilk.