There are basically two types of butter that are homemade: sweet cream butter and cultured butter. To make sweet cream butter, use the raw cream, separated from the milk, to begin the churning process. To make cultured butter, you must allow the fresh cream to sit in a cool room (about 50-60 degrees) for a period of time to allow it to ferment by the action of its benign bacteria. This fermentation by lactobacillus bacteria changes both the taste and chemistry of the cream, making both much more complex with a better taste and mouth “feel” when the cream is finally churned. This fermentation can be allowed to work for up to one week.
I remember when, as a child, our milk was delivered by Koontz Creamery, in the glass milk bottles with the paper tops. My mother would open the bottles, gently pour off the risen cream and when all bottles had been finished, add the cream to the covered bowl that sat in the cool pump room to await the weekly churning.
In this day and age, it is all but impossible to purchase raw milk, from which you extract raw cream. Therefore, it will be necessary to buy a grocery store product that has a high fat content. This product will be labeled ‘heavy whipping cream” or ‘extra heavy” cream. To culture this cream, you can inoculate it with store purchased sour cream or buttermilk. Make certain however, that is says that it contains live cultures. The whipping cream that you purchase cannot culture by itself, since it is pasteurized and all of the bacteria has been killed. It must have an inoculant. The rate at which the inoculant is added to the cream is one tablespoon per cup of cream. It also works best if you remove that amount of inoculant from its container (save the rest for the next time) and place it on a kitchen counter for 8-10 hours to ferment (longer for a better taste).
When the inoculant has fermented, add it to the cream and let sit in a cool place for 1 to 2 days. You may further develop the flavor by placing the cream in the refrigerator for up to a week. The cream should always have a pleasant smell and develop a slightly tangy taste, as the lactic acid develops. If the cream should curdle or develop a bad taste because the holding temperatures were too warm, discard it and start again. When the cream has cultured to your desired taste, it like the sweet cream previously mentioned, is ready to churn.
When churning cream into butter, the equipment must be absolutely clean. Wood churns can harbor bacteria in its pores and must be scalded repeatedly until all traces and odors of previous use is eliminated. For this reason, my mother used the glass jar churn with paddle inside as it was easier to clean. Today, however, a food processor, an electric mixer or even a glass jar that can be shaken may be used. A churn is actually anything that can agitate the cream until the butterfat comes out of suspension with the resulting buttermilk and butter.
Butter is best churned at 50-60 degrees but will eventually clump even at warmer temperatures. When churning, be mindful of the stage of the cream/butter. When it forms clumps of butter washing around in buttermilk, churn for another minute or so and then stop. Drain the buttermilk to be used as a drink or for cooking and baking. Transfer the butter to a bowl and using your fingers as a paddle, press the butter into the bowl’s sides to get all of the buttermilk to drain from the butter. Do this until all buttermilk is removed. With the buttermilk completely removed, if you wish to have salted butter, you may add 1/4 teaspoon per 1/2 cup (8 tbl,1/4 lb) butter. Mix the salt in while pressing the last of the buttermilk from the butter.
You will not be able to get your butter as “dry” as the commercial type. Also, wrap your butter well before refrigerating and try to eat it within a week, while it is still fresh.
Pat Biggerstaff is Middlesboro’s own organic gardener, columnist and author. Have a question or comment for her? Call her at (606) 242.2906.
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