To make butter at home, you only need one main ingredient: heavy cream. The process involves agitating the cream until the fat separates from the liquid, forming butter. Here’s a step-by-step summary of how to make butter:
- Start with heavy cream - Pour it into a food processor, stand mixer, blender, or a jar if shaking by hand.
- Agitate the cream - Whip, blend, or shake the cream continuously. It will first turn into whipped cream, then become slightly chunky, and finally the fat will clump together, separating from the buttermilk (the liquid part)
- Separate the butter and buttermilk - Pour off the buttermilk using a sieve or muslin cloth. You can save the buttermilk for baking or cooking
- Wash the butter - Rinse the butter with cold water several times to remove residual buttermilk, which can cause spoilage. Knead or squeeze the butter during rinsing to remove as much liquid as possible
- Add salt (optional) - You can mix in a pinch of salt for flavor, or add herbs and spices if desired
- Shape and store - Form the butter into a log or pats, wrap it well, and refrigerate. Homemade butter is fresh and delicious, but should be used within a few days unless properly washed and stored
This entire process typically takes about 10 to 25 minutes depending on the method used. Shaking cream in a jar is a fun, hands-on way but takes longer, while food processors or mixers speed up the process
. In essence, making butter is simply about beating cream until the fat separates, then washing and shaping the resulting butter
