Homemade butter is delicious and surprisingly quick and easy to make. I have never really enjoyed real butter on my biscuits or bread, but this homemade butter is different. There are even many different flavored butters that you can make yourself. Homemade butter is not only great to eat, but it also perfect for making pie crusts, biscuits and many other baked goods.
A couple of weeks ago my mother-in-law was here, and I was telling her how I was given many cartons of heavy whipping cream. We had made whipped cream and eaten it on every thing we could think of until we were sick of it. I really needed another idea for making use of all of the whipping cream that was left. Immediately my mother-in-law suggested, "Make homemade butter!" She had grown up on a farm where they made their own homemade butter for years. "There's nothing like it," she said. "Homemade butter is delicious and really easy to make."
So, I decided to give it a try. I was very surprised at how simple it was to make. (Especially using my Kitchen Aid!)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 quart of heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp of salt
PROCESS:
With a whisk attachment on your mixer, begin by beating the whipping cream just as you would to make whipped cream. After a few minutes the cream will first turn into the consistency of whipped cream (see first photo below). At this point, take a second and cover your mixer with a towel because here is when the process becomes messy.
After approximately 5 min. of beating the cream, it will turn into little curds - like cottage cheese (see second picture). You'll also notice that there will be some liquid milk separating from the curds. This is BUTTERMILK. Pour out the buttermilk into a container. Though you will not need it to make butter, keep it because it is perfect for baking!
After pouring out the buttermilk, begin beating the curds again. Beat it until it begins to look like butter; that is creamy and sticking together (third picture). Once creamy, use a spoon and press out all the remaining butter milk that you can. For another option, put the butter in a cheese cloth and simply press and squeeze until no more buttermilk can be squeezed out.
Now, take a large tupperware or bowl and fill it with cold water. Put your butter in the cold water and rinse it well for a couple of minutes. The water will start to turn a little murky, but that is fine. You are rinsing off any last little amounts of buttermilk. This is important because the buttermilk will turn rancid if is left on the butter. Once the butter is rinsed, remove it from the water and place it in a jar or container of your choice! If you would like to make a flavored butter this would be the time to add those ingredients. Simple right!?
Now, the only problem with real butter is that it gets hard when stored in the fridge which makes it very difficult to spread. The good thing is, that you can leave it out of the refrigerater for a perfect consistency if the temperature is right. At 65F or below, butter will last for weeks on the counter in a sealed container. At 80F, the butter will be overly soft and will not last more than several days. It is best to keep it covered, because the air is what will make it turn rancid. So in other words, feel free to keep your butter out of the fridge (covered) when room temperature is in the low to mid 70's. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 weeks, and frozen for up to 1 year.
Here are some of my favorite flavored butters:
Garlic Butter:
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Mix well.
Lemon-Herb Butter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 Tbs. finely diced shallots
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients. Roll into plastic wrap and store up to 2 weeks in fridge.
Honey Butter:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
Mix well.
Brown Sugar Butter:
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbs. brown sugar
Mix well.
Cinnamon Butter:
2 cups butter
3/4 cup honey
3 tsp cinnamon
Mix well.
Enjoy! If you make it, be sure to let me know how your butter turns out.
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