Homemade Butter (Mixer version)

Homemade Butter (Mixer version)

Recipe by Dimitra Alfred

Cuisine: Storeroom essential / Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 300ml cold cream (minimum 35% fat), from the fridge
• cold water from the fridge

Equipment

• Electric mixer fitted with beating attachment
• Clean colander or strainer
• Large bowl

Directions

1. Pour cream mix master bowl.
2. Turn the mixer onto medium-low speed for about 5 minutes until it begins to thicken (this is to prevent splashing).
3. As is thickens it becomes whipped cream. You can stop the mixer to check.
4. At this stage, increase the mixer speed to high but keep an eye on the mixture.
5. The mix will go from whipped cream to then looking rough and curdled. Keep beating.
6. Gradually the curdled mix will start to appear yellower as the butter forms.
7. Turn the speed back down again to prevent splashing as the cream separates.
8. You will now see the butter form on the beaters and the buttermilk liquid in the mixer bowl.
9. Sit the colander over a clean bowl and tip everything into the strainer and allowing the liquid or buttermilk fall into the bowl.
10. Pour the buttermilk into a clean jar or bottle and refrigerate it, ready to be used for baking.

You will now be ‘washing’ the butter three times:

1. Pour enough cold water over the butter to just cover.
2. Use a clean hand to press the butter firmly together into a ball while forcing onto the side of the bowl to extract as much of the buttermilk as possible.
3. Drain away this liquid down the sink.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 3 twice more. This method of washing and extracting as much liquid as possible will help the butter keep for longer and stop it from going rancid too quickly.
5. Place butter into a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

To make Salted Butter: Mix 1⁄4 teaspoon salt into the finished butter in step 13.

To make Whipped Honey Butter: Place finished butter into a clean bowl and beat in 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Beat until well combined.

To make Honeyed Rosemary Butter: Place finished butter into a clean bowl and beat in 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary and a pinch of salt. Beat until well combined.

To make Herb and Garlic Butter: Place finished butter into a clean bowl and beat in 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley and 1 tablespoons thyme. Season with 1⁄4 teaspoon salt (or to taste) and a couple of grinds of black pepper; beat until combined.