Salted Butter
By Matthew FairmanPublished on August 6, 2019
Time
20 minutes
Yield
Serves 25 (Makes 1⅔ cups)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
In step 1, the cream will increase in volume, thicken into a stiff whipped cream, and then turn grainy and decrease in volume before it separates into butter solids and buttermilk. This recipe will work with both pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized heavy cream. Pasteurized cream will turn to butter more quickly than ultra-pasteurized cream. The buttermilk from this recipe is much more like low-fat milk than cultured buttermilk, which has a tangy, almost sour flavor. You can use this milk as you would any low-fat milk.
Instructions
- Process cream in food processor until mixture transforms from grainy whipped cream to lumps of butter solids surrounded by cloudy buttermilk, 2 to 6 minutes.
- Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Transfer contents of processor to fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Using rubber spatula, press and turn butter solids gently in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible, about 2 minutes.
- Using your hands, press butter solids together into ball. Knead ball over strainer to squeeze out excess liquid, about 30 seconds. Transfer buttermilk collected in bowl to airtight container and reserve in refrigerator for another use. Wipe bowl clean with paper towels; set aside. Return butter to fine-mesh strainer and place strainer in ice bath (strainer will shield butter from ice) until butter has cooled and firmed up slightly, about 1 minute. Repeat process of kneading and dipping butter in ice bath until very little liquid can be squeezed out of butter, 2 to 3 times (knead butter over ice bath).
- Transfer butter to now-empty medium bowl. Sprinkle salt evenly over butter, then knead butter until salt is thoroughly incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer butter to butter dish or airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. (Butter can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)
Time
20 minutesYield
Serves 25 (Makes 1⅔ cups)Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For an easy, foolproof way to churn our own butter, we whipped heavy cream in the food processor until it transformed into bits of butter splashing in buttermilk. To remove the buttermilk, we poured everything into a fine-mesh strainer (set over a bowl to catch the buttermilk) and then pressed the little bits of butter into one solid hunk. We then kneaded the butter to extract the rest of the buttermilk and worked in just the right amount of salt to accentuate the fresh butter's milky flavor. From there, all that was left to do was spread the butter all over warm biscuits, wedges of cornbread, and stacks of hot pancakes.
Before You Begin
In step 1, the cream will increase in volume, thicken into a stiff whipped cream, and then turn grainy and decrease in volume before it separates into butter solids and buttermilk. This recipe will work with both pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized heavy cream. Pasteurized cream will turn to butter more quickly than ultra-pasteurized cream. The buttermilk from this recipe is much more like low-fat milk than cultured buttermilk, which has a tangy, almost sour flavor. You can use this milk as you would any low-fat milk.
Instructions
- Process cream in food processor until mixture transforms from grainy whipped cream to lumps of butter solids surrounded by cloudy buttermilk, 2 to 6 minutes.
- Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Transfer contents of processor to fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Using rubber spatula, press and turn butter solids gently in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible, about 2 minutes.
- Using your hands, press butter solids together into ball. Knead ball over strainer to squeeze out excess liquid, about 30 seconds. Transfer buttermilk collected in bowl to airtight container and reserve in refrigerator for another use. Wipe bowl clean with paper towels; set aside. Return butter to fine-mesh strainer and place strainer in ice bath (strainer will shield butter from ice) until butter has cooled and firmed up slightly, about 1 minute. Repeat process of kneading and dipping butter in ice bath until very little liquid can be squeezed out of butter, 2 to 3 times (knead butter over ice bath).
- Transfer butter to now-empty medium bowl. Sprinkle salt evenly over butter, then knead butter until salt is thoroughly incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer butter to butter dish or airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. (Butter can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)
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