How to Make Homemade Butter
Homemade butter is as simple as shaking cream in a jar until the butter forms. In fact, that was how we made it for a long time around here. When we started butter making, it was for fun not for regular consumption. Since then, we do make butter for regular consumption and have not consumed store bought butter for nearly a year now. I have to say that making butter is a great experience for the children! I have bought the regular whipping cream at the store and made butter with that. It’s good. Then I had real, fresh, unpasteurized cream made available to me!! I’ve never tasted butter so good in my life! I was raised on margarine so butter in general was different to me. Now, it’s my friend…well, maybe not my friend but you know what I mean. If you don’t know what I mean, you’ve got to try it. So, get some yummy bread or rolls and get to shaking that cream! You won’t regret it.
Making Butter in a Jar the old-fashioned way (except you are the churn)
What you need:
1 quart of cream
1 jar (with a leak proof lid)
Little bit of salt (I prefer sea salt)
Directions:
Pour cream in jar. Shake until butter forms in a ball in the jar.
Warning: Your arms will probably get tired. It may take 30 minutes or longer depending on the temperature of the cream and how much shaking is happening. The cream will resemble whipped cream first, then little butter bits will form, then it will kind of stick together to form a ball (or a blob as the farm children say).
Once the ball is formed, pour off the buttermilk (a wonderful bi-product to be used later) and rinse the butter under COLD water. You can rinse by placing the butter in a bowl and rinsing the water several times or I usually just hold it in my hands and squeeze it while I’m rinsing it under the COLD water. Don’t ask me what happens when you rinse with warm water.
Add a little salt and work it into the butter. The salt is optional but it keeps the butter longer. It’s ready to enjoy!
Making Butter with a blender
Now I know that part of the fun is doing things the old way, but sometimes, the newer methods are just more practical. So for those of you liking practicality over the old way. I suggest a Ninja. No, I don’t mean an Asian man in black flipping all over the place with a scary weapon. It’s a blender!! I got a Ninja for Christmas last year and I love it! Instead of having a couple of blades at the bottom of the blender pitcher, it has three sets of blades going up into the pitcher for blending with ease. Oh, yeah, we’re talking about butter not blenders. Sorry folks.
Making Butter in a blender
What you need:
Cream
Salt
Add cream to blender (preferable a Ninja) and turn it on. It will go through the various stages mentioned above (whipped, bits, and then ball). When the butter is the proper consistency, pour off the buttermilk (saving that for later), rinse the butter and add salt. There you have it! Homemade heaven!
