Y’all ~ I about died!
Last Monday, I made homemade butter. Real Butter!
Thanks to the wonderful woman who was at the Biltmore Estates when we recently attended the Homeschool Festival, I came home from the trip bound and determined that I – she who knows nothing about home dairying – would make the real deal, homemade butter!
And I did.
It was so easy, it’s scary.
But it made so much sense after I did.
They had butter before we had electricity – so how hard could it be? Ya think?
See what’s happened to all of us?
So here it is:
INGREDIENTS:
1 Pint (2 cups) of Heavy (whipping) creme
teaspoon salt (optional)
Cold Water
THINGS YOU’LL NEED:
Large mixing bowl
A medium to large strainer or extra small holed collander
A second mixing bowl
A wooden or rubber spatula
Electric mixer and only one beater (or if you have a Kitchen Aid type mixer you can use the wire wisk)
A small one pound bowl/crock to store your butter in (I used my smallest round, crock style corning ware bowl and covered with plastic wrap)
DIRECTIONS:
Measure your heavy creme into a mixing bowl and allow to sit out on your kitchen counter overnight – it must “rest” and be room temperature.
NEXT MORNING: Using your electric mixer and only one of the beaters, beat the creme on low to medium speed. You will believe that all you’re doing is making whipped creme – but keep mixing with your mixer for a few minutes. All of a sudden you will see the butter curds and the buttermilk liquid separate and the butter will come up. Make sure at this point that your mixer is definitely on low speed so your buttermilk liquid doesn’t splatter everywhere – all over your kitchen. After you’re satisfied with the amount of butter that has separated, turn off your mixer and set aside. Place your strainer or collander over your extra mixing bowl and pour your butter and butter milk into your strainer, separating the two. Your butter is in your strainer/collander and your buttermilk is in the bottom bowl! Pour your buttermilk into a glass and refrigerate for later (Yum!). Put your butter back in the original bowl and using your spatula to work the butter squeezing out more liquid. Pour small amounts of cold water over the butter and work with a spatula until the water/liquid that runs off of your butter is clear. You can work the butter as much you deem necessary and use the strainer/collander to drain off excess liquid again and again. When you are through with this process and satisfied, add your salt and blend well into your butter.
Using a clean rubber spatula, transfer your fresh butter into a clean one pound bowl or crock style dish. Smooth the butter into the container, cover and refrigerate.
Homemade butter!
I was shouting after I made it – I could not believe it! The boys were excited, too and then started telling me I needed to make homemade bread to go with the butter!
Now go, hurry and get your heavy creme and get started making your own batch!
