CULTURED BUTTER BENEFITS RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine cream and yogurt in a large jar or bowl. Seal jar well and shake aggressively until combined, or whisk well if using a bowl. Cover jar or bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let mixture sit in a warm area of your kitchen for 18 to 36 hours; it should thicken and taste rich and tangy.
• Seal the jar or cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it reaches 60 degrees, 1 to 2 hours. If you refrigerate it longer, allow mixture to warm slightly at room temperature before proceeding.
• Line a fine-mesh sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Make sure there is plenty of extra overhang of cheesecloth.
• In the bowl of a food processor, add the thickened butter mixture and process on high until the yellow curds begin to separate from the buttermilk, 2 to 3 minutes. It will have the appearance of liquidy cottage cheese.
• Slowly pour the buttermilk through the mesh sieve and then dump the butter curds in. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, allowing buttermilk to drip through. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth up and around the butter, pushing the curds down and into a ball. Twist the cheesecloth and squeeze the ball to extract as much buttermilk as possible. You will be left with a butterball.
• Pour the buttermilk into a separate container and reserve for another use. Place the butterball in the empty bowl. Be sure to squeeze out all excess butter from the cheesecloth. Pour 1/3 cup of ice water over the butter and, using a spatula, “wash” the butter, folding it over itself and pressing down to extract the extra buttermilk. Drain off the milky liquid and discard it; repeat this process until the liquid is clear, 4 to 6 times. The butter will start to harden; at that point your hands may work better than the spatula.
• Place the butter on a clean kitchen towel and pat lightly to remove excess moisture. Knead a few times with your hands and pat dry again; this will help extend its storage life. Sprinkle the finished butter with salt and knead a few more times to combine.
• Lay out a sheet of parchment paper, or two if you would like to divide the batch in half, and place the butter on the paper. Form the butter into a log and then roll it up in the paper and twist the ends to seal. Make sure the log has a uniform thickness throughout. Refrigerate until ready to use. The butter will last about a month in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Pour the cream into a non reactive container and whisk in the buttermilk.
• Place the cheesecloth or tea towel over the container and allow to sit undistrubed at room temperature for 24-36 hours. You can taste the cream to decide how tangy you like it.
• Place the cultured cream in the fridge until well chilled, at least two hours but I like to do it overnight.
• Put the cream into the stand mixer with whisk attachment or a food processor. Be careful not to overfill either as the cream will expand while whipping.
• Start to beat the cream at a medium speed. As the cream gains volume slowly increase the speed.
• Beat the cream until it seperates. Small lumps of butter fat will become visible and the butter cream will seperate. You should hear the liquid splooshing around in the mixer.
• Line a bowl with cheesecloth and place the butterfat into the center. Pick the cheesecloth up spining it to close it and putting the butter into a tight ball. Use your hands to squeeze as much buttermilk out of the butter as possible. You can also use the back of a rubber spatula to press out the buttermilk.
• Move the butter to a bowl of ice water and continue to wash out the butter fat by squeezing the butter in your hands then washing it in the water. You can use two bowls alternating between the two until the water is no longer cloudy. Washing the butter in cold water helps keep it firm while working it and rinse out any remaining buttermilk.
• If adding salt, place the butter back into the stand mixer and add the desired amout of salt. Mix until combined.
• Wrap the butter in wax paper, cling film or place it into a sealed glass container.
• Store the butter in the fridge for 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 6 weeks.