Butter and Buttermilk Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I make buttermilk by mixing butter and milk? ›

What is buttermilk? It may sound like we're mixing butter and milk together, but that's not the case! Buttermilk is actually cultured or fermented with active bacteria, which adds lactic acid to it (similar to yogurt!)

Just for reference, 2 cups of cream will make 1 stick of butter (100 grams, 3 1/2 ounces, or 1/2 cup). You'll also get about 1 cup of buttermilk. To take your butter a step further, you can make it into compound butter or whipped butter.

What is buttermilk? The name buttermilk is somewhat misleading, as it doesn't contain butter. Traditional buttermilk is the liquid leftover after whole milk has been churned into butter.

Tips for Making Butter at Home

2. Never warm up the cream in a microwave. Instead, let the cream warm up slowly on the counter. Also, do not let the cream get warmer than 70 degrees or your butter may turn out gloopy and may not fully separate from the buttermilk.

The butter adds extra fat to the milk, making its fat percentage similar to that of heavy cream. Combine 1/4 cup (57 grams) of melted butter with 3/4 cup (178 mL) of milk and mix thoroughly to make 1 cup (237 ml) of heavy cream.

Add butter and milk to a saucepan, cook and stir over medium low heat, turn off the heat right after the butter is fully melted. Do not bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the mixture into a blender. Blend on high speed (or juice mode) for 1 minute.

Shake the jar until butter forms. This could take between five to 20 minutes. Once you have shaken the jar enough, the liquid will suddenly separate from the butter. The butter will be a pale yellow lump, and the liquid will be milky.

The cream from Jersey cows produces the best butter because of its higher fat content milk, plus the fact that their fat is dispersed in larger globules than milk from other types of cows and tends to churn into butter more easily.

The bottom line

Opened buttermilk can last up to 14 days in the fridge and slightly longer than its expiration date if unopened. It can be frozen opened or unopened in an airtight container for up to 3 months. If you notice any changes to the smell or look of your buttermilk, it's best to toss it to avoid getting sick.

Sour Fruits: Avoid consuming sour fruits, like citrus fruits, right before or after buttermilk, as the combination of acidity can lead to digestive discomfort for some people. 3. Alcohol: Combining buttermilk with alcohol may lead to indigestion or an upset stomach. It's best to avoid these two together.

Does buttermilk taste of butter? ›

Cultured buttermilk sold in stores today is thicker than regular milk, and it has a distinctive tang and buttery flavor.

Buttermilk tends to be a little thicker than milk and it naturally has tiny lumps in it, so it's good to shake it well. Pour some into a cup and look at its consistency. It should be smooth, but if it's really thick and has clumps or chunks, the buttermilk has gone bad. The buttermilk smells strong and sour.

Flavor: Homemade butter is striking: It tastes unbelievably fresh. I tested my first batch of homemade butter against my favorite supermarket brand, and the difference was clear: Freshly made butter tastes FRESH, unlike butter that's sat at the supermarket for a while.

The ideal temperature to churn your cream is about 62-63 degrees Fahrenheit. If your cream is too cold it will take much longer to churn into butter. If your cream is too warm the butter will have a slimy consistency that's hard to recover from.

“Any conditions which tend to harden the butter-fat will require a comparatively high churning temperature; and any conditions tending to soften the butter-fat will require a lowering of the churning temperature.”

When substituting whole milk with lower fat milk, you can generally substitute one-to-one and add some butter to make up for the lack of fat—roughly 2 teaspoons of butter per 1 cup of milk.

Buttermilk gets its name from the way it is produced. Buttermilk is the slightly sour liquid that is leftover from churning butter. Since butter is the fatty portion of milk, buttermilk is relatively low in fat even when made from whole milk.

For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need.