How to Make Cultured Butter at Home (And Reasons to Spread It On!)

Compared to regular butter, cultured butter is silkier, tastier and more beneficial to the health. Also sometimes referred to as European-style butter, it’s something that packs a few advantages over other kinds of supermarket-bought butters. That’s because it is made at a much slower pace and there are live beneficial bacteria added into it. However, there is one more important thing you need to know about cultured butter: it costs a lot more that regular butter.

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Fret not if you want to experience the sumptuousness of cultured butter but your shopping budget is keeping you from doing so. That’s because you can actually make cultured butter in your very own kitchen. And what’s even more impressive is the fact that you need to get your hands on a couple of ingredients only. Buying ready-made cultured butter may be more convenient than making one from scratch, but just imagine the amount of cash you get to save from simply making one at home. It’s just as phenomenal as the store-bought variant, but way cheaper.

The following is how you make cultured butter with your own hands:

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of heavy cream (pasteurized, and not ultra pasteurized or what’s known as UHT)
  • 1/2 cup of whole milk yogurt (plain)

Procedure:

  1. Before you start making cultured butter, make sure that both heavy cream and plain yogurt are at room temperature.
  1. Grab a clean jar (2 liters) with a tight-fitting cover. Place heavy cream and plain yogurt in it, put the lid on, and give the jar a good shake.
  1. Remove the cover and place 3 layers of cheesecloth on the jar. This will permit air to get in the jar while keeping dust out. Secure with a rubber band. You may also use kitchen towel if cheesecloth is not available.
  1. Transfer the jar to a warm place in your kitchen, preferably 74°F (23.8°C). Let it stay there for 18 to 48 hours or until the consistency is already similar to yogurt. If the temperature is much lower than the recommended, the process may take up to 60 hours.
  1. Remove the rubber band, followed by the cheesecloth or kitchen towel. Put the jar’s cover on and stash in the fridge for about a couple of hours, or until the mixture is already at 60°F (15.5°C).
  1. In the meantime, get your hands on a strainer with a fine mesh and line it with 3 layers of cheesecloth or butter muslin. Place the lined mesh over a large mixing bowl. Also, grab your stand mixer and install a whisk attachment.
  1. Take the cream out of the refrigerator and whip using high speed for 2 to 5 minutes, or until you notice that the cream has already separated into buttermilk and a few clusters of yellow butter.
  1. Pour it into the lined mesh and leave it there for about a minute to give buttermilk enough time to seep through. Afterwards, gather the edges of the cheesecloth or butter muslin, and then squeeze out the remaining buttermilk. Wait until there is no more butter cream flowing.
  1. Transfer the butter in the cheesecloth or butter muslin into a large mixing bowl. Pour 1/3 cup of ice water on it.
  1. Get a rubber spatula and start folding and pressing the butter against the sides of the mixing bowl. This helps get rid of any remaining buttermilk. Discard the water and pour another 1/3 cup of ice water. Keep on repeating the procedure until the water is already clear. It usually takes 6 washings.
  1. After discarding the water during the last washing, continue the folding and pressing to squeeze out remaining water in the butter.
  1. Separate the butter into 2 halves, roll into logs or balls, and then wrap in parchment paper. Refrigerate. Your homemade cultured butter can be refrigerated and used for an entire month.

Now that you know how to make cultured butter from scratch, it’s time to get to know some of the reasons why you should spread it on:

  • It has a richer taste and texture, thanks to having more fat content.
  • It has beneficial bacteria that are good for your gut.
  • It still has all the goodness that regular butter brings, such as lecithin, healthy fatty acids, manganese, zinc, iodine, and vitamins A, D, E and K.
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