Homemade butter is incredibly easy to make. All you need to make butter is heavy cream and turbulence. There are multiple methods of making butter and people have been doing it for thousands of years. We used touse our vintage churn from the 1920s which is sadly on its last legs. Theses days, we’ve been making butterwith our Churncraft prototype!
What you need
2 quarts heavy cream or whipping cream
1 tsp. sea salt (optional)
A few hoursprior to churning, leave the cream out on the counter. The ideal temperature for churning butter is around 60-65 F. If the cream is too cold, it is harder for the fat globules to stick together, and if it is too warm the butter will be a little too soft and gloopy.
Pour the cream into the glass jar of the churn. Screw on lid. Churn for 10 – 15 minutes, until the buttermilk and butter have separated into two distinct parts. Pour the buttermilk into a jar or pitcher using a sieve. Be sure to save your buttermilk for other recipes!
Now it is time to rinse your butter. Add several cups of ice cold water to your glass churn. With a spoon, paddle or even your hands, squeeze and press the buttermilk out of the butter. Pour out the cloudy water and rinse again. Place the butter in a bowl, mix in the sea salt and enjoy your fresh, homemade butter!
Do not skip this step – if there is buttermilk still in the butter, the shelf life is shorter. Pure butter can last for approximately two to three weeks. If there is buttermilk left in it, it will only stay good for 2-3 days.
At this point your butter has a lovely, soft texture. It is the perfect time to make compound or flavored butter. Churncraft has lots of delicious recipes for sweet and savory butters!
Butter Storage
There are many ways to store your butter. You can use a variety of containers; butter bells, ceramic ramekins, airtight tupperware, glass custard cups or Pyrex. You must seal it well so it does not take on the other odors in your refrigerator. You can also wrap your butter in parchment paper, wax paper or plastic wrap. Be sure to wrap tightly.
If you are not going to consume your butter in the next week, it is best to store in the freezer. Butter can last up to several months in a freezer.
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FAQs
Here's the bottom line: Butter is simply heavy or whipping cream that's been whipped beyond its comfort zone and broken down into solid butter and liquid buttermilk. So however you make whipped cream, do it — and keep on going until the cream separates.
Can you make butter just from milk? ›
First things first, let your milk sit in your fridge for 24 hours. This allows the cream to rise to the top for easy skimming. I simply used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to skim the cream from the top. I left a bit of cream in the raw milk, but took the majority of it from 2 gallons to make this butter.
Is it actually cheaper to make your own butter? ›
Butter isn't that expensive — it's about $3 per pound at the wholesale level. Cream costs roughly $3.50 for 16 ounces, or less if you buy a larger carton. That means the price of making your own butter isn't much more than buying it in the store, and often you can get organic cream cheaper than organic butter.
What is the best cream for making butter? ›
Always buy heavy cream or whipping cream for churning butter. Any brand will do. You need the higher fat content. Heavy cream is approximately 40% butterfat and 60% milk solids and water.
How long does DIY butter last? ›
How long does homemade butter last? Homemade butter has a shelf life of up to 2 – 3 weeks when kept in the fridge. You can also keep your homemade butter in the freezer for up to 9 months.
What is the best milk to make butter with? ›
The cream from Jersey cows produces the best butter because of its higher fat content milk, plus the fact that their fat is dispersed in larger globules than milk from other types of cows and tends to churn into butter more easily.
How much butter does a gallon of milk make? ›
1 gallon of milk will usually yield 1 to 1.5 pint of cream. The cream will churn to approx. 1/3 to ½ lb of butter. The above info is for our raw cow milk only.
Why does homemade butter taste different? ›
The texture of homemade butter is softer, creamier, and fluffier than regular stick butter. The flavor of the plain butter differs on the type of heavy cream you use.
Why does homemade butter not last as long? ›
Because it's fresh, your butter won't keep as long as commercial butter, so make it in small batches and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks or freeze it for up to 9 months. Also, as a by product of making your own butter, you will have real buttermilk, which you can save for using in baked goods.
How to tell if homemade butter is bad? ›
Any sour or off-putting smell means it's a goner. Same goes for taste: If it tastes sour or off, toss it out. 5 And don't worry, a small taste of rancid butter won't hurt you. Of course any visible mold, discoloration, and changes in texture are visible cues that it's time to throw the butter in the trash.
Why care about when to stop churning? If churning ceases too soon, much fat is lost to the buttermilk. If over-churned, the butter will contain too much buttermilk and be very difficult to wash clean.
How much milk does it take to make a pound of butter? ›
It takes 21.2 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of butter.
Is it better to make butter with warm or cold cream? ›
The ideal temperature for churning butter is around 60-65 F. If the cream is too cold, it is harder for the fat globules to stick together, and if it is too warm the butter will be a little too soft and gloopy. Pour the cream into the glass jar of the churn. Screw on lid.
How to make butter without a machine? ›
How to Make Butter Using a Mason Jar. This is the simplest method for making homemade butter, and the biggest perk is that it doesn't require any special equipment. Just pour heavy cream or heavy whipping cream into a Mason jar, screw on the lid, and start shaking.
Can you can home made butter? ›
Canning butter with a pressure canner makes it shelf stable for up to 5 years, making it perfect for emergency preparedness also.
