I made BUTTER!

I made real butter! As in REAL LIVE butter! I listen to the show "The Splendid Table" whenever I can, and a few months back they did a show all about butter and she posted a recipe on her website. Of course they stress the quality of your cream, ideally unpasteurized and right out of the cow. Unfortunately I can only get supermarket quality heavy whipping cream, in this case--a quart of Sam's Choice store brand.

The recipe says to mix on medium to high speed until it separates, but the guest chef that day said that he would mix it for at least 20 minutes on low for better results. Well I beat that cream on low for twenty minutes and I swear I made myself car sick staring at the bowl and watching the cream--it was so bad I had to go and lay down! I got back up, got the cream out of the fridge and beat it on med and then on to high for another 30 minutes. I thought it would be a quick and drastic change because I remember working at camp one summer and I was in charge of frosting the brunch cakes with freshly whipped cream. They always warned me never to step away from the Hobart because it could be over whipped and turn to butter...


It took a LONG TIME to get it to butter! On the left here we have nice fluffy, expanding cream. FINALLY on the right...it has gotten heavier and deflated and you can see the buttermilk separating in the bottom of the bowl. This is poured through a sieve and you mash the butter together as if you were making a snowball and you literally WRING buttermilk out of it! You can knead salt into it if you want to but I didn't for this first try. I am curious to see if it will taste anything like clotted cream. You'll get about a pound of butter and a little more than a pint of buttermilk.

The buttermilk was interesting. It reminded me more of coconut milk in it's appearance. It almost looks like skim milk because it is quite translucent. And it is watery--not like the thick, beige stuff we get at the store. Well now all I needed was something to EAT the butter on! I baked some Valentine banana bread loaves and I used the buttermilk in an oatmeal and buttermilk bread recipe! I will be packaging up my Valentines tonight :)

I have had this butter press for EVER and I've always wanted to use it! I will take this butter home to my parents this week! :) I should bake some kringlas to go with this butter...hmmmm.