11/25/2010

How to Make Butter

Please welcome our guest, Bryan Williamson, from Armchair Chef

I am so excited! Thank you so much Nisrine for letting me play a part in Dinners and Dreams; it means a lot to me! As for my “how to” contribution you might ask the question “Why on earth would you make butter?” Really I am not sure… bragging rights maybe. Kind of like growing a garden, just to say that I made something myself from the beginning to the end. To be honest I had my reservations about making butter I thought that I would end up with a slimy unpalatable mess, but it turns out it was easy.Take 2 cups of heavy cream and pour into a mixing bowl, the amount doesn’t really matter, just know that your cream will yield about 1/2 butter and 1/2 other stuff. Take your mixer and start beating at high speed you will get the cream going through all of the phases that you are used to.


Soft peaks

Stiff peaks

Then it does something that doesn’t make sense to my non-scientific mind… when you continue to beat it after stiff peaks the cream breaks, and butter starts to form. The lumpy mash is butter the liquid that separates from it is buttermilk. You have to use your hands here… pick up the butter and squeeze out as much liquid as you can then set in a strainer and run cold water over it to get as much of the watery liquid out as possible.


What is left is soft sweet butter. I sprinkled a little Kosher Salt on top then some green onion slices as a garnish in this picture it is with my Sourdough bread (something I am still figuring out)

Posted in How-To
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10 Responses to “How to Make Butter”

  1. 1

    Susan — 11/25/2010 @ 2:04 pm

    Nice posting. I've made butter before…by mistake. Thought I was making whipped cream and was distracted. Butter is good…Let's hear about the sour dough bread.

  2. 2

    A Canadian Foodie — 11/25/2010 @ 4:34 pm

    I have made butter before and got this excited too! There is nothing like it, and it is even better with raw milk… well, the cream from raw milk. I love everything homemade, so I understand the thrill and the pride! Bravo! I need to do this more often, too.
    :)
    Valerie

  3. 3

    Bryan — 11/26/2010 @ 11:22 am

    Thanks so much for having me Nisrine! it is such a pleasure to be a part of your great blog. Maybe we can talk about Sourdough Bread sometime ;~)

  4. 4

    Joanne — 11/26/2010 @ 1:02 pm

    Ooo what an awesomely informative post! Who kew making butter was so easy!

  5. 5

    Nisrine Merzouki — 11/26/2010 @ 1:45 pm

    Thanks, Bryan, for a great post. I think I'll start making butter at home from now on :)

  6. 6

    Carol — 11/26/2010 @ 11:52 pm

    YUM…Love butter…love the recipe! Thanks for sharing! We're looking into making our first bread, ever…this will compliment it well! Thank you : )

  7. 7

    oneordinaryday — 11/29/2010 @ 10:43 pm

    Fresh butter is wonderful. I used to make it with my students, by pouring a little cream and a small pinch of salt into baby food jars, then letting them shake the jars until they've made butter. So much fun to do!

  8. 8

    Deeba PAB — 11/30/2010 @ 12:12 pm

    Nothing like fresh home made butter … wonderful. I have been making some for years, and that's all I use in my baking! Excellent post!

  9. 9

    dana — 12/06/2010 @ 9:41 pm

    Good job on the butter Bryan! Aren't we lucky to have mixers now instead of churning butter by hand. I imagine that would be so tiring.

  10. 10

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