HOMEMADE BUTTER

This is something that I have wanted to try.   Have to add it to my "To Try" list along with all the other million ideas to make, cook, sew, plant, heal, and ....................   Oh my, I better get busy!

Our First Batch o’ Butter!

Posted on April 26, 2013 by The Essential Homestead • 1 Comment

We love butter!  I’ve been wanting to make my own for a long time.  Finally…. I’ve done it!  

I used about 1 1/2 – 2 cups heavy cream in my Kitchen Aide mixer with the wire whisk attachment. (truthfully, I’m guessing… I forgot to measure it.) 

Start the mixer, slowly at first while you carefully drape a towel over the mixer.  Be very, very careful not to allow the towel to get hung up on any turning mechanisms!  Or if you happen to own one of those handy Kitchen Aide splash guards, then use that.  But you’ll probaly want something because when you slide the speed lever up to 8-10, it will begin to splash all over!  Trust me on this.

Let it run at high speed until the milk “breaks” and starts to form clots.  When that happens, you’ll want to take the wire whisk off and use the beater attachment.  Otherwise the butter ball will form inside the wire whisk. Use the beater attachment and mix for just a couple more minutes or until you think all the butter has formed.

Next, I used a large slotted spoon to fish out the butter chunks.  Then I drained the buttermilk into a clean jar to deal with later.   Or, I may just drink it!  I put the butter ball into my special wooden butter bowl with the hand-carved paddle.

My mother gave me this butter bowl & paddle. The paddle is hand-carved, fits my hand perfectly, and was passed down through the family from my great-great grandfather on my father’s mother’s side.  My mother bought the wooden bowl from an Amish store in Kansas in about 1964.  I’m so honored to be able to carry on a family tradition and teach my children to make things from scratch using heirloom tools.  I cherish them both and one day, I’ll hand them down to the next generation.

Now you want to rinse the butter to get all of the buttermilk out.  The butter keeps longer if its rinsed well.  I rinsed this batch with really cold water, mashing the water through the butter with the paddle and working it around the bowl.  When the water comes clear, gather the butter into a ball and put it in a container in the fridge.  My daughters actually clapped and cheered when they saw the homemade butter.  Now they’re expectinghomemade bread too!

I’m keeping my eyes out at garage and estate sales for old wooden butter molds.  I’d love to make enough butter to mold, then store in the freezer. In the meantime, I doubt this little batch will last long enough to worry about molding, especially with Saturday morning pancakes on the horizon.