Cultured Butter

By lorik

Ingredients

• Variation from Cooks Science:
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/3 cup buttermilk or crème fraîche
• Ice water
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Details

Servings 3
Cooking time 61mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the buttermilk or crème fraîche. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until thickened, at least 12 hours and up to 48 hours.

Scrape the cultured cream into the bowl of a stand mixer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 45 minutes.

Wrap the rim of the bowl well with plastic to catch any splatter; alternately, use the pouring-shield attachment. Beat the cultured cream with the whisk at high speed until the butter solids start to form a ball, about 4 minutes. *I have found it's less messy to do this in a food processor instead of the stand mixer, it takes about 1 to 3 minutes. Stop the processor immediately when you see chunks of butter being thrown around in the liquid. Drain the butter solids in a fine sieve set over a bowl and reserve the buttermilk for another use.

Transfer the butter to a large bowl and, using gloved hands or a large fork, knead to expel any excess buttermilk, adding it to the reserved buttermilk as it accumulates. Pour 1/4 cup of ice water over the butter, knead and drain. Repeat adding the ice water, kneading and draining 3 more times, until the water is nearly clear. Continue kneading the butter until it no longer expels any water.

Form the butter into a cylinder or block, wrap it in cheesecloth and gently squeeze to remove any remaining moisture. Discard the cheesecloth and wrap the butter tightly in plastic, followed by parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Variation:
Combine cream and buttermilk in clean lidded container. Cover container or close carton and let sit at room temperature until mixture smells tangy and buttery and has a thick consistency, at least 24 hours or—our recommendation—up to 7 days.

Chill cream to 55 to 60 degrees F/10 to 15.5 degrees C.

Transfer cream to food processor and process until mixture turns from grainy whipped cream to lumps of butter splashing in liquid, 1 to 3 minutes. Stop processor immediately.

Fill medium bowl halfway with ice and water. Line fine-mesh strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth, leaving few inches of cloth hanging over sides of strainer. Pour butter mixture through cheesecloth-lined strainer into large bowl (buttermilk will collect in bowl). Lift cheesecloth by edges and twist and squeeze tightly over strainer to press out more buttermilk (when butter starts to squeeze through cheesecloth, you are done). Transfer cheesecloth-wrapped butter to ice bath until firm around exterior, about 2 minutes. Transfer buttermilk to airtight container; do not wash bowl.

Remove butter from cheesecloth and transfer to now-empty bowl. Stir and press with wooden spoon to force out additional buttermilk from butter, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain this buttermilk from bowl, add to buttermilk container, and refrigerate until ready to use. If making salted butter, knead salt into butter with wooden spoon. Transfer butter to separate airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. (Butter can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.)