Yesterday I casually tweeted that I was making butter for the next bread in the Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge - the brioche. I received a flurry of responses.
"Making butter like shaking the hell out of cream?"
"Making your own butter - how decadent".
"Do you have a butter mill?"
Ha ha no, I do not have a butter mill. I didn't grow up on a farm. One day years and years ago when I was a child, my dad was making fresh whipped cream for pumpkin pie. I asked him, how do you make cool whip from milk. He laughed and said "First off, this is cream you silly child and second, not only can you make the best and freshest whipped cream ever from it, you can also make butter." It was like he told me I could take over the world...
With the right butter, you can.
First we start with the right heavy cream. The best possible cream to use is non-ultra pasteurized, high butterfat content (36-40%), organic, and from pastured cows. Just pure cream.
Mmm cream...
For sake of this recipe we are starting with 2 cups cold cream. This will yield 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of buttermilk.
We are also using the ever faithful Kitchen Aid with whisk attachment.
Pour cream into your bowl and turn on your KA. A nice slow speed is good here, say a 2.
First the cream with thicken slightly. See how it coats the whisk?
Then it will become whipped cream...Or if you aren't paying attention like I was, broken whipped cream...
But it's OK! We're not making whipped cream. Our goal is butter. Put down the sugar and Kahlua and pay attention. Turn off your KA to avoid injury and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Turn that Kitchen Aid back on and watch the magick happen...
Whoop there is is!
Now, let the buttermilk drain from the butter. And please for all that is sacred in this world. DO NOT just throw away the buttermilk. Make pancakes! Make biscuits! Chicken! Drink it! It's amazing...
Almost done, we still need to rinse the butter to remove any trace of buttermilk. I do a simple cold water bath while squeezing the butter. It will start out like this:
And when it is thoroughly rinsed, should look like this:
At this point you can wrap it in cheese cloth and squeeze out the excess water, or just allow it to strain off. I do the latter.
Now is the time you can add herbs or salt or sugar or honey or whatever to flavor your butter. I leave it as is mostly. But then again I make butter weekly... However, I do have a ton of different butter recipes to share. Soon. Or if you are DYING for one now, email or tweet me and I will set you up. I have so many yummmmy recipes...
Ahem, to finish. I take the butter and press it into a jar.
Press it down real good so that you push out any air pockets between the butter pieces or at the bottom of the jar. Top with cold water.
Store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Every time you need butter, simply pour off the water, take what you need and top with fresh, cold water before covering and returning to the refrigerator. This has the same effect as a butter bell.
That's it. Yep! It is THAT easy. You can even get some cool silicone ice trays and use them as individual butter molds. Wow your friends! Impress your family! Confuse your enemies!
With home made butter - you can take over the world.
