Cultured Butter & Homemade Buttermilk

I believe I've previously mentioned the fact that I was completely obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie book series growing up. Totally devoted pioneer fan girl. My parents had to endure a constant stream of facts about pioneer life that all started with "In the olden days when Lauren Ingles Wilder was little they would (insert fact about pioneer life here)". For me, the best part of those books was any part describing how their prepared their food, especially the cheese and butter. I wonder if it was normal for a little girl to dream about owning a cow and a butter churn..

Fast forward to the future (aka present day) and even though I'm having trouble finding room for a cow in my place I do own a butter churn of sorts. More specifically, I learned that you can easily make butter in your food processor. Upon learning that fact a few months ago I immediately tried it out and posted about my buttery success.

Homemade butter.. could it get any better for a pioneer loving girl like myself?

(spoiler: yes, yes it could)

 

Although the butter from my first attempt had turned out creamy and delicious I had wondered why the liquid that was squeezed from the butter wasn't proper buttermilk. It didn't have the right consistency or tang and I ended up tossing it which seemed like a waste.

Now thanks to Cheesepalooza the mystery has been solved! If I wanted to make proper buttermilk I needed to add a culture to the cream before churning it.

The process was very straightforward. I just gently heated the cream, added the specified amount of Aroma B powder and then let the cream sit at room temperature for 12 hours followed by 12 hours in the fridge. After that I just repeated the food processor churning process:

1. Fit your food processor with the chopping blades. Add the cream to your food processor bowl. I have a 12 cup Cuisinart Elite food processor that whips this stuff up like a dream. If your food processor is smaller then churn the cream in batches so that you give the cream room to expand.

2. Turn the food processor on and let it whip and whip and whip. First it will turn into a whipped cream, then it will start curdling and the buttermilk will begin to make a sloshing sound. Take a look and if you have curds of butter surrounded by buttermilk then it's time for the next step!

3. Strain the butter in a strainer lined with cheese cloth or a j-cloth over a bowl to catch the buttermilk. Set the buttermilk aside and return the butter to the food processor bowl.

4. Add very cold water to the food processor bowl (I usually have a bowl with ice water ready) and pulse the butter a few times to rinse it. Carefully pour out the water and then add more water to the bowl and rinse again.

5. Rinse your hands with cold water and then squeeze and sort of knead the butter in batches to remove as much of the water as possible.

6. If you want to salt your butter then stir or whip salt in to taste. Then divide the butter up and use parchment paper to roll into logs. Store in the fridge or freezer until you need it!

The difference in flavor between the butter churned from the fresh uncultured cream and the butter churned from the culture cream is very noticeable. The cultured butter reminds me of the butter I had while traveling in France: a mild but distinct flavor that you don't find in butter here in Canada.


The reward for the extra work of adding the culture to the cream (which wasn't really work, it just meant waiting a bit longer) was this thick and tangy buttermilk which is waiting in my fridge to be used for oatmeal buttermilk bread.

Homemade bread made with homemade buttermilk spread with homemade butter means that I can spend breakfast pretending that I live in a little house on the prairies (which is almost true.. I live in a little house in a city surrounded by prairies).

If you want to make your own cultured butter then grab a copy of Artisan Cheese Making at Home for the recipe! If you just want to make butter then follow the food processor directions with regular whipping cream. Pioneer time!

Comments

[Rigel]

Looks amazing! I've never tried homemade butter, and now I feel like I'm seriously missing out. So would shortbread made with this be the ultimate?

[Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking]

Love this! I was totally obsessed with Little House on the Prairie too! I was even thinking about rereading them. Am I too old for that you think?

[Lisa]

Looks delicious! The photos are stunning and I will definitley add "Make Butter" to my kitchen bucket list. Love it!!

[Emily @ Totes Delishy]

I have 'accidentally' made butter many times by starting the mixer to whip cream and forgetting about it because the dog barked/phone rang/timer went off. I wish I had read this a long time ago it would have saved me a lot of heartache and I would have had homemade butter for weeks!
Side note-where does one buy aroma b powder?

[Renee]

I was pretty obsessed with Laura too, in my younger years, staying up way too late reading about Plum Creek and Nelly Olsen.
This is definitely on my list of things to make this winter. Love it!

[Becs @ Lay the table]

No freaking way! My mum read me Little House on the prairie growing up! I remember that very bit about them churning butter! Also she thought it was funny one christmas to hide my santa presents and leave me a tin cup and a satsuma ala LHOTP. Was not impressed!

[Jane]

I love(d) Little House on the Prairie too! I will have to try the cultured butter ... sounds heavenly!

[Diana]

Your homemade butter looks so good! I was also obsessed w/ Little House on the Prairie as a kid and just recently bought The Little House Cookbook just for a trip down memory lane. :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog and it's great to find yours as well. I'll be visiting often!

[alexis @sensationcaviar]

searching for a real good homemade butter and i can say I am impressed. Can you tell me how long the butter would last and how many one can make per batch? Would love to give it as a present for my friends this coming Christmas.

thanks :)
alexis

[Stephanie]

Somehow, a jug of buttermilk always seems to be in the house these days and I use it for everything: pancakes, cookies, making quark, marinating chicken . . . I've been wondering if I could make my own and now you've given me the solution. Thank you!

[erin @ yummy supper]

Stephanie, I'm loving your modern prairie lifestyle! Homemade butter is the best, isn't it? It makes life in the old days look pretty darned appealing.
xo
E

[Meta4]

Wher do I find Aroma B powder???

[Clockwork Lemon]

Meta4: You can cheese making cultures from online stores like this one: http://www.dairyconnection.com/commerce/catalog.jsp?catId=10

[christine @ wannafoodie]

I just read this great article on Curd Nerd about the reasons that your feta may "melt" in the brine. Thought I'd share before you start! http://bit.ly/SfnThg

[A Canadian Foodie]

Love the pics of the 4 logs of butter. My buttermilk - which I didn't write about as there was so little - was almost sweet. I could easily drink a small glass with true pleasure. It is nothing like the commercial kind - or, maybe the kind I haven't made yet from Mary's book. Ah! So much to do! I have, however, discovered I prefer the fresh butter to cultured butter. Odd.
:)
Valerie

[Larry]

Looks great. I tried to do this too but my have failed. How long did it take in the food processor? The recipe suggested 10 min, to warm and become very liquid at 10 min, with no butter forming.