Source: Nicole Miller - Seventh Heaven Farm
Servings: Depends on the amount of cream you use.
Entered by: Ted Miller

Forget everything anyone has ever told you about butter being hard to make. You don't need a butter churn or a cream separator. All you need is a spoon, a jar and an electric mixer. Here is how you can make fresh butter - the quick and easy way! This recipe will provide you with fresh butter and buttermilk. The milk that you skim the cream off of is perfectly delicious "skim" milk - so you are not "wasting" anything by making butter. NOTE: It is better to use cream from milk that has been in the fridge for at least 3 days.

Ingredients

  • Raw milk that has separated
  • Salt (to taste) (optional)

Instructions

  1. 1
    Pour your fresh raw milk into a wide mouth container and chill (refridgerate) for at least 12 hours until the cream settles at the top.
  2. 2
    Skim the cream off the top of the milk with a spoon. You will be able to tell when to stop - you will start to get a "watery" looking fluid on your spoon when you are getting milk instead of cream.
  3. 3
    Spoon the cream into a jar, close the container tightly. Let it sit on your countertop for approximately 12 hours (or until the cream smells slightly sour). DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! This is called culturing. Only cultured cream produces butter with a good "butter flavor". I typically set out the cream in the morning before breakfast and make butter after dinner that evening.
  4. 4
    Pour all of the (cultured) cream into your mixer. Blend. The cream will go through several different stages: Sloshy, frothy, soft whipped cream, firm whipped cream, coarse whipped cream. Then after a few more minutes a glob of yellowish butter will separate from milky buttermilk. It can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending how much milk was left in the cream (and how fresh your cream was - it is better to use cream from milk that has been in the fridge for at least 3 days).
  5. 5
    Drain the buttermilk that has collected at the bottom of your mixing bowl. (DON'T THROW IT AWAY - it is pure, fresh buttermilk - use it to make biscuits or something else!)
  6. 6
    Add 1/2 cup of ice-cold water, and blend further. Discard wash water and repeat until the wash water is clear (it usually takes 3-4 times).
  7. 7
    Add the salt to taste (this step is optional)
  8. 8
    Take the butter out of the mixer and place on paper towels (or a sheet of fine mesh cheese cloth) and squeeze out any excess water. Another option: put butter into a covered jar, and shake, dumping out water occasionally, until most of the water is removed.
  9. 9
    You are finished! Store the butter wrapped in wax paper or on a butter plate. REMEMBER: fresh butter does not last long before spoiling. You can always seperate it into portions and freeze it - use it as needed - it will last MUCH much longer!

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