Making Homemade Butter - Healthier Choice - Buttermilk for Recipes

We enjoy making homemade butter. It’s flavorful and a favorite in our house. Now you might say, “Why not buy butter at the grocery store, instead of making it at home?” You know what ingredients are added to the butter when you make it yourself. It’s a healthier choice, without chemicals and bad oils.

You might be wondering if making homemade butter is worth the time and effort. Why bother when buying it from the store is more convenient? Knowing you are eating a healthy product is the best reason to make your own butter. One favorite reason to make homemade butter is that it produces another great benefit, buttermilk. Our family enjoys warm buttermilk biscuits. Adding buttermilk to recipes is flavorful and delicious!

Two ways to make butter:

1. The first way to make homemade butter is to purchase whole milk from a farm or local butcher. As the whole milk sits still, the cream will rise to the top. You can skim the cream from the top and whip it into butter. This way can be expensive, but it’s the best way to make homemade butter. Do not throw out the milk. Use the milk to make biscuits or drink it.

   
   

2. The second way to make butter is faster and easier. Purchase local organic, homogenized heavy whipping cream with a high-fat content. Avoid ultra-pasteurized as the super-high heat used to pasteurize destroys the cream flavor.

One quart of heavy whipping cream (32 ounces) will make about one pound (16 ounces) of butter and two cups of buttermilk. Purchase a silicone butter form that has the measurements as part of the form. After removing the butter from the form, there will be lines on the butter, which measure 1 teaspoon per line for your recipes.

Homemade butter will not last as long since it doesn’t have the preservatives and chemicals in it. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks or freeze for up to 9 months. You can also freeze the buttermilk.

Are you ready to make some homemade butter, a healthier choice in your lifestyle? 

Here are the instructions and ingredients. This is a fun and educational experience for your entire family.

Needed Equipment and Ingredients: 

• Whole milk cream or heavy whipping cream

• A stand mixer

• Cheese cloth

• A medium bowl.

Steps to Follow for making homemade butter with heavy whipping cream:

Step 1 – Use 1 quart of heavy whipping cream. Place the cream in a stand mixer or if you prefer, a butter maker with paddle attachment. (Cream from whole milk can be used instead. The process will take longer with real cream.)

Step 2 - Beat the heavy whipping cream for 10-15 minutes. It will look like whipped cream. Keep beating the cream past this stage, approximately 5 minutes longer. It will begin to look like cottage cheese.

Example 1: Place the whipping cream in the stand mixer

Example 2: Continue to Beat the cream past the whipped cream stage

Example 3: The cream has a cottage cheese texture

Step 3 – Continue to beat the cream for 5-10 minutes longer.

Note: Keep a good eye on the cream. At this point you should start to see liquid form in the cream as it whips the mixture. The butter will separate from the buttermilk. From experience, if your speed is too fast, buttermilk will splash everywhere.

Example 4: The cream separates from the buttermilk. Liquid starts to form.

Example 5: The cream forms butter.

Example 6: Buttermilk is visible.

Step 4 – After the butter has formed, turn off the stand mixer, then remove the bowl from the mixer. Place a cheese cloth over a medium size bowl. Pour the butter and buttermilk on the cheese cloth. Gather the cheese cloth and squeeze the excess buttermilk into the bowl. At the same time, shaping the butter into a ball with the cheese cloth.

Example 7: Place a cheese cloth over a medium bowl.

Example 8: Pour buttermilk and butter through the cheese cloth.

Example 9: Drain and shape the butter into a ball.

Step 5 – Set the buttermilk aside or pour it into a container, then store it in the refrigerator, until ready to use. Rinse the ball of homemade butter under the water, until the water is clear. At this point you need to decide if you want sticks of butter or spreadable butter.

Example 10: Wash the butter under cold water until the water is clear.

Example 11: Clean rinsed homemade butter ball. This is what it will look like.

Step 6 – If you prefer spreadable butter, place a piece of parchment paper on a digital scale, then tare the digital scale to zero. Place the butter ball on the prepared piece of parchment paper and weigh the ball.

Example 12: Place parchment paper on the digital scale and tar to "0.00 lbs".

Example 13: Weigh out 1 lb. of homemade butter.

For the best results, use avocado oil to make the butter spreadable. Add 1/2 cup of avocado oil per 1 lb. of butter. Adjust the amount of oil, depending on the weight of the butter.

Avocado oil is the best to use. It has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point, which allows it to be used in a variety of applications without any strong flavors or burning.

Olive oil has a distinct fruity flavor and can potentially alter the overall texture, making butter more spreadable, but the butter's flavor can be muted by the flavor of the olive oil. Olive oil can make the butter taste peppery or have a grassy flavor.

Adding Oil to Homemade Butter:

Place the butter into a stand mixer bowl. Attach a paddle with rubber scrapers on the mixer. Turn the mixer on, then slowly add the avocado oil. Add salt if you prefer salted butter. If your recipe calls for salt, do not add salt to the butter. It will make your product too salty. The spreadable butter will look smooth and whipped. Place in a container until ready to use.

Example 14: l00% Avocado Oil

Example 15: Pour Avocado oil in the bowl with butter.

Example 16: Spreadable homemade butter after adding the avocado oil.

Step 7 - To make sticks of butter, place the butter into a silicone butter mold. The mold has markings to measure the correct amount for your recipes. You can purchase this mold on Amazon.com

If you prefer blocks of butter, place the butter into a narrow pan. It can be cut to the right measurements as needed.

Example 17: Silicone butter stick form with measurements and a lid, on Amazon.com.

Example 18: Long narrow pan for block butter

Either way, cool in the refrigerator, then remove and wrap in waxed paper. Leave it in the refrigerator for several weeks or freeze for up to 9 months. When freezing, leave the butter wrapped in waxed paper, then place the wrapped butter into freezer bags.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and have learned a lot about making your own homemade butter. To make things more interesting and delicious, try adding ranch seasoning, cinnamon, or your favorite herbs or spices to your spreadable butter.

By S.R.R. LLC – Author Marietta Smith