How To Make Butter At Home

In contrast to what many folks assume, making butter at home is in fact an exceptionally simple process, and one which I personally believe can be most fulfilling. Unfortunately, the once common knowledge of how to make butter at home has largely been forgotten, and the practice all but abandoned by most, given that commercially made butters are so cheap and convenient to buy. Sales of real butter in general have slumped in recent years too however, which can be attributed largely to people switching to a myriad of low-fat, artificial alternatives as a result of health concerns.

Ironically however, recent research has shown that hydrogenated (or “trans”) fats used in the manufacture of these so-called healthier products be even worse for us than the natural fats found in real butter. Go figure! As a result, these themselves are not without scrutiny.

Whatever the truth may be, it is my personal belief that the immense enjoyment to be had from eating good quality, great tasting — and above all — natural foods, far outweighs the positives of any suspected, marginal health benefits that artificial (and largely bland-tasting) alternatives may or may not have to offer.

This process, if followed, should see you with a decent slab of good quality butter which can be enjoyed either as a spread, or in cooking and baking.

Ingredients & tools required

• 1 pint (~1/2 litre) double cows cream
• Salt (optional)
• A large jar with a tight screw-top lid

What to do

1. It’s quite important that you let your cream naturally reach room temperature (around 20°C/68°F) before you go any further. The colder the cream is, the longer the process of churning it into butter will take (and the more likely your arms are to drop off!).
2. Once it’s there, we can get down to business. Empty your cream into your jar, ensuring that there is still sufficient empty space within it for the cream to move around and be churned. Put your lid on tightly, and begin the process of shaking it around. You’ll probably need to switch hands (or take it in turns with someone else), as the process can obviously be quite tiresome. As the cream is churned, you’ll notice it go through numerous stages of thickening: light-whipped, thick-whipped and “seemingly-concrete-like”. You will likely begin to wonder by the third stage, if all this shaking is even making a difference any longer. Well, don’t fear — it is, and there will be plenty of time for resting later!
3. Suddenly — almost in an instant, after what seems to have been an eternity of enjoyable drudgerous exercise — your cream will start to loosen up again, and you will hear some faint sloshing. Once again, keep going.
4. Stop briefly every now and then to check the progress of your jars contents. By now, your cream will begin to seperate into two components. What you will be left with is a progressively more watery liquid — which is your buttermilk — and various clumps which will be constantly decreasing in quantity, but growing in size. This is your butter! When all these bits have largely conjoined to form one big clump of buttery goodness, you can stop shaking, for now, and move on to the next step.
5. Filter the buttermilk from your jar as best you can, and save it for later. It is gorgeous if incorporated into your baking recipes, although it can be enjoyed on it’s own, as a drink, if you so desire.
6. When you have extracted as much buttermilk from your jar as is feasibly possible, replace it with approximately the same amount of cold water. Give it another brief shake, and pour the water away. Repeat this process over and over several times, until the water you pour away is completely clear. It is imperative that the water be clear, for if any buttermilk remains present, the whole slab of butter will quickly go rancid.
7. Once you’re happy that all the buttermilk has gone, rake your butter from the jar and press out the remaining water using either your hands or the back of a spoon.
8. If you wish to salt your butter — which is, of course, completely optional — now is the time to do so. Be sure to knead the salt well and evenly into the butter. If you go overboard and salt it too much, you can simply wash some out with cold water.
9. Finally, mould your butter into whatever weird and wonderful shape you desire (personally, I’m rather boring and tend to stick to the traditional rectangular block), wrap it up in greaseproof paper (if available) and store it somewhere cool — preferably in the refridgerator.
10. The last step, I trust, will not need any explanation, other than to say: ENJOY!

Note: it is recommended that you salt your butter to a lesser degree if you intend to freeze it. This is because butter which has been frozen and defrosted will naturally taste more salty, therefor you should seek to prevent the taste being too overpowering.