I was so intrigued to be asked this question via email that I just had to answer. I have only made butter once or twice in my lifetime, but both times it was so easy and the results so effective that I was sure I would never go back to bought butter again.
Butter, as you are probably aware, is produced by churning cream until the fats separate from the liquid (buttermilk) and the butter is in a semi-solid state. Now the butter you buy in the supermarket is more often than not made by extracting small amounts of cream from whey, a by-product of cheese-making, using large centrifuges. The butter made at home, on the other hand uses the cream directly from whole milk.
The common misconception among many is that you would need specialist equipment to make butter, but this is not the case – your regular food processor, for example, would work just as well.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream, or double cream
Method
- First fit the food processor with a plastic blade or whisk.
- Add the cream, and turn on. The cream will become sloshy, then frothy, then take on the appearance of whipped cream. Eventually the cream will seize and it will become less smooth. Keep the food processor running until the glob of yellowish butter seperates from a milky buttermilk.
- Drain the buttermilk, and you are left with a light tasting but eatable butter. Add 1/2 cup of ice-cold water and bled. Discard ice water, and then add another 1/2 cup. Continue doing this until the water comes away clear. Work the butter to remove all water.
- Place in a crock or roll in waxy paper.