Cultured Butter

Making butter at home is easy and incredibly delicious. Culturing your cream with a starter culture first, will provide an even tastier result plus the goodness of health promoting bacteria.

Makes approximately 350g

Ingredients

• 600ml double cream

• Tiny pinch (or ½ ‘drop’ spoon) Flora Danica or Mesophilic Starter Culture (optional)

• Water (preferably chilled)

• Salt to taste

Instructions

CULTURING THE CREAM

* Skip this section if not culturing

1. Pour the cream into a saucepan and warm to 24°C

2. Once at 24°C, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the starter culture. Allow the culture to rehydrate for two minutes, before stirring through

3. Cover the saucepan and let the cream sit undisturbed, at room temperature for 16-24 hours

4. Once cultured, chill the cream for at least 4 hours before turning it into butter

TURNING THE CREAM INTO BUTTER

* Start here is not culturing

1. Remove the cream from the refrigerator and pour it into a mixing bowl or a stand mixer

2. Mix the cream on low speed, whilst watching closely

3. Turn off the mixer as soon as the butter starts to clump together and the buttermilk (milky liquid) begins to splash in the bowl. Taking the butter past the point of separation, may result in a failure

SEPARATING THE BUTTERMILK

1. Bring the butter together into one lump using a large spoon and squish it together to squeeze out the buttermilk. Pour off the buttermilk and reserve it for baking or pancakes

2. Pour 100ml of water over the butter, then press and fold the butter to work out additional buttermilk

3. Pour off the milky water, and continue to fold and press the butter with some new water

4. Repeat until the water runs clear

5. Mix through some salt and/or herbs to taste, if desired

Notes

The butter will last up to two weeks in the fridge in an air-tight container or wrapped in wax paper.