Home Made Butter!

Making Butter Was Never This Easy!

For those of you who have access to fresh cream..or even find whipping cream on sale..you can MAKE your own butter! I am lucky enough to have a milk goat who gives me one full litre of heavy cream once a week..I save my milk until I have 3 gallons and put it through my cream separator.  The milk I then make into cheese ( another blog next week) And the cream I make into butter. Goats milk is naturally homogenized..so it does not readily separate like cows milk does.  So for me the investment of a cream separator was worth it.

This one I bought from Ebay for $109..shipping included.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/MILK-CREAM-MANUAL-CENTRIFUGAL-SEPARATOR-50L-H-NEW-/170674063637?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bcf78915

Here is the link!

Onto Butter Making!

For this you will need one litre of HEAVY whipping cream.

  Sometimes after holidays you can find it on sale. Check your prices..if the one litre carton of whipping cream is cheaper than butter..snap it up! One litre of whipping cream will give you one pound of butter and 12 ounces of butter milk. So if it is on sale..it is worth it!

Now..some people say it is best to whip it at room temps..but I have better luck ( maybe because it is goat cream) keeping things as cold as possible.

So I take two stainless steel bowels..put about 1.5 cups of water in one..and set the other inside..I put a light weigh inside the second bowl..and pop them in the freezer..they freeze together with a thin layer of ice between.

Pour In the whipping cream and whip it!!

Once it reaches the whipped cream stage..you continue to whip it until it begins to separate...Have PATIENCE..this can take up to 20 minutes.

Soon after this stage..you will begin to notice fluid in the bottom of the bowl..this is butter milk..mine is tan because it is goats milk...Cows butter is yellow with white butter milk..Goats butter is WHITE with tan butter milk.

At this point your beater will begin to labour..so be careful not to burn out the motor! If you have a kitchen aide that would work MUCH better!

Once you have reached total separation..strain out the butter milk and save for pancakes or biscuits..or cheese milk starter!

Now you need to wash and salt you butter..I salt mine because I do not pasteurize my milk..so I don't want the butter to go rancid.

After you have strained the butter milk off..pour some ice cold water over you butter and begin to work it through..you CAN use your better..but it is hard on the motor. Pour off the cloudy water..and add more fresh ice water..continue in this pattern until the water runs clear.

Once you water runs clear..add some salt to taste..I use about a teaspoon..and press it through the butter with a spatula ( or beater..but I wouldn't advise it at this point) And continue to pour off any water that may get worked from the butter as your work the salt in.

And here it is..one full pound of goats cream butter!

  Isn't it PRETTY?

So if you don't have a milk Goat or Cow...keep your eyes on those whipping cream sales!

CHEERS!!