So, step one... acquire some raw cream. I got mine at the Whole Foods Depot for $10.65.
Step two.. put it into a glass jar and mix it with some cultured milk... I used creme fraiche ($5.79) to culture mine. Leave it on the counter. I left mine out for about 12 hours. I don't know if that is how long your are supposed to leave it out. If I ever find out, I will let you know. You can also use buttermilk from a previous batch of butter.
Step three.. pour through a strainer and the clumps of stuff go into a small jar, along with some of the cultured cream. Label it. This is your starter for next time so you don't need to buy the creme fraiche again. I think if you leave it out longer, you end up with a clabbered cream, which is creme fraiche.
Step four... put the cream into the fridge and get cold. You might also want to refrigerate or freeze your kitchenaid bowl and your wire whisk.
Step five... put the cream into the bowl and it is just like making whipped cream. It took less than four minutes for mine. It passes the stiff peak phase and moves right into the really, really stiff phase and suddenly - BAM - you have butter. Just like a miracle.
Step six... I don't know if this is the right way, but I just poured mine into the wire mesh strainer over a bowl and let the buttermilk drain out. Then I bottled up the buttermilk and eventually used it to culture a loaf of bread. It was so good.
**Changing this a little bit. I forgot something... so sorry. I put my butter back into the mixer and added about 1 tsp of sea salt. This is for preservation and for flavor. THEN move on to...
Step eight... If you want to mold it into pretty shapes.... this is the time.
Step nine.... ENJOY!
Note: I just kept a little on the counter in my butter dish at a time. Then it was soft for use, but the bulk of it I kept in the fridge in a glass jar. Some of it I mixed half and half with my organic, but not raw or cultured, butter. I try to just have enough out for the day. I like to put some into my little butter crock at night and try to estimate how much I will need for the next morning. Remember, if it sours, it is still healthy and good... just sour. Disguise it in something:)
I am going to try this, I will let you know how it goes :)
ReplyDeleteDo you know how long cultured raw butter last? Just used mine up thats been on my counter four days now, it smelt a little sour....
ReplyDeleteI think I forgot one thing.... I added salt to mine. I will go put that in right now. That will help some.
ReplyDeleteI only take enough out of the fridge for max 2 days. It does not stay "sweet" for very long. Alternatively, you could get a "butter bell" and just replace the ice water every day. That keeps it fresh and useable for several days.
I love my butter! I put aside a small amount of buttermilk for next time's starter & the rest I used in my coffee just as I would cream. I was really surprised at the taste of the buttermilk. I don't think I have ever had it before. Gabe has & said it tasted nothing like store bought. It has a pleasant milky buttery taste.
ReplyDeleteI never ever even thought of using buttermilk in my coffee. I am making butter later today. I will try the buttermilk in my coffee tomorrow. Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI discovered you can use spoiled raw cream in your coffee and it is not bad. I think my taste buds are ruined.
@Cindy: Raw cream does not spoil. It just continues to sour, but it doesn't putrify/spoil like the pasteurized junk from the store.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't agree with Michael Pollen's quote about only eating food that rots (or if he's a vegetarian then he probably doesn't use raw dairy and also doesn't understand it). As I said above, raw milk and cream don't rot, they just continue to sour which is not the same thing as putrifying. The more sour the milk and cream get, the more beneficial bacteria is in them. So it doesn't "rot" but I'm not giving up my raw milk and cream (and all the stuff I make from it) for anyone, book guru or not.
And, to whomever wrote this article - what you made was whipped butter; not the same thing as real butter. If you were making real butter, it would separate in the mixer bowl (into a clump of butter and what looks like whey, which is really the "buttermilk") and you would have to rinse it. BIG difference.
I don't understand why you blog about something you clearly don't understand? Cultured foods/liquids, found in the grocery store, are generally pasteurized which destroys any beneficial bacteria and enzymes, so if you purchased some sort of milk (such as cultured buttermilk) to use as a "starter" you defeated the purpose of your whole point in using raw milk or cream. Culturing should be done naturally, on the countertop, like clabbering and letting the bacteria in your kitchen do the rest.
If you want to make real butter using your mixer, you'll need to keep whipping a lot longer than 4 minutes. Sorry!
Question: I'm not sure why you cultured your cream before making butter... Is there a reason behind that?
ReplyDeleteWhip Longer?: I do think that you needed to whip a bit longer...I think that you will get a lot more butter if you do. (I don't know for sure.) My butter ends up in big clumps that are very easy to strain out. I also add salt. I'm thinking of adding a bit of Olive Oil to soften it up so that it's more spread-able.
On Cream Temperature: The Amish farmer that we get our raw milk from says that the optimal temp if 60 degrees but I just talked w/ someone who lets her cream sit out for 12 hours to come to room temp. She said that it turns to butter when she shakes it for 10 minutes. Maybe temp doesn't matter?
Molding Butter: I mold my butter down into a loaf pan and then cut it into smaller sections, wrap it in wax paper. Easy storage and they make great gifts to friends.
Thanks for your blog!