Making Butter

 

 

 

There are many ways to make butter; I will share my quick, easy method with you.  I make butter from the cream I skim off my fresh, raw milk about once a week.  The butter I make is sweet cream butter.  I make it while cleaning up the kitchen or cooking a meal.  For my method, one needs a mixer in which the beater rotates rather than the bowl (such as a Kitchen-Aid).  Of course, you can also churn butter by hand if you want to get some exercise and you have the extra time!

 

Place skimmed cream into the bowl of the mixer and wrap with plastic wrap to prevent the liquid from slopping out of the bowl.  It works best if you don't fill the bowl more than about 1/3 full. 

Turn on the mixer to a medium speed (I start at a setting of 6) and whip cream until it fluffs up and then starts to break down.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. 





Continue beating on a slightly slower setting (I use a setting of 4) until you hear liquid developing.  At this stage you need to turn the mixer to the slowest speed and stay close by.  Turn off the mixer immediately when the butter forms into a ball and the liquid starts to slosh. 

 

If you forget about the butter and leave it on a high speed you will end up with liquid splattered all over the kitchen even with the plastic wrap in place.  I have done this once or twice over the past 10 plus years that I have been making butter.  What a mess!





Once the butter is formed, pour off the liquid.  I use this 'sweet buttermilk' liquid to make oatmeal or for baking. 

The take the ball of butter and rinse it under cold water while squeezing out all liquid. 

 

 

When all signs of white liquid are gone, dry the butter ball with paper towels or a cloth. 

It is important to get all of the liquid out of the butter so it does not go bad quickly.  If you look closely, there is some liquid on the front edge in the photo above.  I typically turn the pressed butter pat over to wipe up any liquid on the bottom.  I make unsalted butter and keep it stored in the refrigerator or freezer.  You can add sea salt at this point, if you wish.  I wrap the butter up in brown natural wax paper and place it in a Ziploc bag.  



If you are going to use it within a couple weeks, place in the refrigerator or you can place it in the freezer and it will last for months.