Making Cultured Butter at Home
Turning cream into butter is a matter of patience and temperature. Adding a culture moves the process beyond simple mechanical separation and into the realm of traditional creamery techniques.
Temperature dictates the texture.
Your cream should be at room temperature for the culturing phase, but chilled to roughly 55°F when you begin to churn. This ensures the butterfat separates cleanly from the buttermilk.
- Glass jar with lid
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Cheesecloth
- Large bowl
- Fine-mesh sieve
What goes in.
- 1 qtheavy whipping cream, preferably pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized
- 2 tbspcultured buttermilk (with live active cultures)
- 1/2 tspsea salt (optional)
Respecting the Culture
The active cultures in the buttermilk need time to consume the sugars in the cream. Keep the jar in a warm spot, around 70°F, to allow the bacteria to work undisturbed.
The method.
Inoculate the cream
Pour the cream into a clean glass jar and stir in the cultured buttermilk. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours until it thickens slightly and smells mildly acidic.
Chill
Place the jar in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Chilling firms the fat globules, which makes them easier to break during the agitation phase.
Churn
Pour the thickened cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Start on low speed, then increase to medium-high. The cream will whip, thicken into stiff peaks, and then suddenly break, splashing buttermilk as the yellow butter solids clump together.
Drain and wash
Pour the contents through a sieve to catch the solids. Press the butter with a spatula to squeeze out remaining buttermilk. Rinse the solids under ice-cold water, folding and pressing until the water runs clear.
Finish
If using salt, fold it into the butter now. Shape into a log using parchment paper and store in the refrigerator.
Other turns to take.
Herbed Butter
Fold in finely minced chives or parsley during the final kneading phase for an aromatic addition to warm bread.
Browned Butter
Melt your cultured butter in a pan over medium heat until the milk solids toast to a hazelnut color, then cool and re-solidify.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream, as the high-heat processing changes the protein structure and prevents the cultures from working properly.
Save the buttermilk; it is excellent for baking biscuits or marinating chicken.
The longer you let the cream ferment, the tangier the resulting butter will be.
The ones that keep coming up.
How long does the butter stay fresh?
Because of the culturing process, this butter keeps for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, provided all the buttermilk has been thoroughly washed out.
What if the cream stays liquid?
If it doesn't break after 10 minutes of beating, the cream is likely too warm or the agitation is too slow; place the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before resuming.
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