Making Cultured Butter at Home
This is a process of patience. You are essentially nudging the cream into a new state before physically separating the fat from the liquid.
Temperature is your only constraint.
Your cream needs to be at room temperature to ferment, but ice-cold when you start the churning process to ensure the fat separates cleanly.
- Glass jar with tight lid
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth
- Large bowl of ice water
What goes in.
- 1 quartheavy whipping cream (pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized)
- 3 tbspactive culture buttermilk or crème fraîche
- 1/2 tspkosher salt (optional)
Setting the Tang
The quality of your butter depends entirely on the 24-hour rest; keep the cream in a warm spot away from direct sunlight so the cultures can wake up and thicken the liquid.
The method.
Inoculate the cream
Whisk the buttermilk or crème fraîche into the heavy cream in a clean glass jar. Cover loosely and let it sit on your counter at room temperature for 24 hours.
Chill the mixture
Once the cream has thickened and smells slightly sharp, move the jar to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. It must be cold to churn properly.
Churn
Pour the thickened cream into a mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high. The cream will go through stages: whipped cream, then stiff peaks, then it will suddenly break. You will see yellow granules of butter form and separate from the cloudy liquid.
Drain and wash
Pour the contents through a sieve to catch the solids. Press the butter with a spatula to release the buttermilk. Place the butter into the bowl of ice water and knead it with your hands or a wooden spoon until the water runs clear; this removes remaining buttermilk which causes spoilage.
Finish
Drain the final wash water, pat dry, and fold in salt if using. Shape into a log using parchment paper.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always avoid ultra-pasteurized cream; it has been heated to a point where it will refuse to separate into butter.
Save the strained liquid; this is authentic, cultured buttermilk, excellent for baking.
If the cream is splashing during the churn, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel.
The ones that keep coming up.
How long will this stay fresh?
Because of the culturing process, it lasts about two weeks in the refrigerator, or up to three months if wrapped tightly and frozen.
Why did my butter turn into soup?
Your cream was likely too warm during the churning stage. Chill it in the freezer for ten minutes and try again.