Cultured Butter

[Kansas Jake]

What color paint is that? Oh, it is butter yellow and the latest color.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

what butter we made was always from fresh sweet cream. What is the practical difference? I often wondered why butter milk sold in the stores was different (and said cultured on it) than "our" butter milk.

 

[coloradoclyde]

The difference is pasteurization...prior to pasteurization all butter was "cultured"

Butter update, My attempt with Half&Half failed but I'm in the process of trying to salvage it by making cheese....

I'll retry the butter when I can get to the store.

 

[George]

what butter we made was always from fresh sweet cream. What is the practical difference?

When separating butterfat from the milk, it works better, quicker if the milk is a bit acid, a bit lower pH. Letting the cream sour meant it had Lactobacillus growing in it, and that produces lactic acid which lowers the pH. That's also what gives buttermilk that delicious sour/tart taste.

Same bacteria which helps make sourdough bread sour. And kraut. And pickles. And yogurt. And sour cream, of course.

Spence

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Ahh, The fresh milk we used was right from the cow. But the butter milk was never tart/sour, just tasted like skim milk. That is why I could never figure out why buttermilk pancakes or biscuits were supposed to be so good. Guess the butter milk we had wasn't the flavor changer, they used down south. To us butter milk wasn't any big deal, just the liquid left after the butterfat was removed from the cream. Looked a bit like whitish water with a bluish tinge. Just like skim milk.If wee did make butter, we did it within a day after the milk came from the cow.

But, as I asked, is there a difference in the butter?

 

[George]

Guess the butter milk we had wasn't the flavor changer, they used down south....

But, as I asked, is there a difference in the butter?

Southern/sour/cultured buttermilk is also excellent for making light, fluffy pancakes and such, in addition to tasting better. The acid in it reacts with baking powder or soda to leaven breadstuffs. If we don't have sour buttermilk for a recipe, we make "fake buttermilk" by adding one tablespoon of vinegar to every cup of milk used.

I don't recall that the butter tasted any different made from sour/cultured cream than from sweet cream.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

I don't recall that the butter tasted any different made from sour/cultured cream than from sweet cream.

Spence

I suppose that depends on the amount of souring time and the presence of other bacteria or yeasts.

 

[Kansas Jake]

We also used sweet cream and it was kept in the refrigerator if not churned right away.

 

[George]

I suppose that depends on the amount of souring time and the presence of other bacteria or yeasts.

Could be, but I think it's likely the "sour" is in the milk/water element, not the butterfat. Also, once the butter is made, it is kneaded and washed to remove as much milk as possible so it won't spoil, and that possibly removes all the sour element.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

One can remove the buttermilk and much of the tang, but the question remains; What does the acid do to the fat and what flavor contributions are produced by the bacteria?
Diacetyl is one such compound produced by bacteria and yeasts and has a strong "buttery" flavor.

Even so, taste is subjective.

 

[Nativearizonan]

Ahh, The fresh milk we used was right from the cow. But the butter milk was never tart/sour, just tasted like skim milk. That is why I could never figure out why buttermilk pancakes or biscuits were supposed to be so good. Guess the butter milk we had wasn't the flavor changer, they used down south. To us butter milk wasn't any big deal, just the liquid left after the butterfat was removed from the cream. Looked a bit like whitish water with a bluish tinge. Just like skim milk.If wee did make butter, we did it within a day after the milk came from the cow.

But, as I asked, is there a difference in the butter?

That describes exactly how we made butter. We didn't culture the cream, but we didn't pasteurize it either. We'd skim the cream off the milk, let the fresh raw cream sit out until room temperature then shake it up until butter formed. Then there was the job of getting all the little pockets of buttermilk out of the butter by cutting and working the butter until we were happy with it. If we didn't do that part right, you'd hit a little pocket of it every once in a while in the butter. Our buttermilk didn't taste anything like store-bought.

We had an old daisy churn with an electric crank, but my wife, rather than have to clean it up, would grab two quart canning jars full of cream and just start shaking them, one in each hand, until the butter formed. I helped if I was in the kitchen, but she did it by herself sometimes; kind of like a substitute exercise video routine.

Those were the days, my friends.

 

[George]

I'll retry the butter when I can get to the store.

If you ever get butter, put it in one of these. As the Japanese say, if it looks pretty it will taste better.



Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

I see butter molds all the time in antique stores....Relatively cheap.

Not the first time I've made butter....Just the first time to make cultured butter...

I'll put it in my butter bell...

 

[George]

I made some butter yesterday from heavy cream using the standing mixer, quick and easy. The butter is sweet, not cultured, of course, and is not very strongly flavored, but good, and a neat exercise.

Next time I plan to inoculate the cream with some cultured buttermilk to compare the flavors of sweet and cultured.

In doing research about this I ran across an interesting idea. Commercial buttermilk is pasteurized before being inoculated with the bacteria, so it is a live culture when you drink it. You can apparently use 3/4 of it then refill the container with plain milk, regular or low fat, let it sit at room temperature for a day or so, and voila! a new jug of buttermilk. Gotta try that.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Sounds like the buttermilk thing should work......I haven't had time to get back to the butter making, but I will....

Did you salt your butter?.....Butter don't taste right without some salt.

 

[George]

No, didn't salt it. To try later.

I did drink the residual buttermilk, also without salt. Since it had never soured it wasn't very impressive.

Spence

 

[Ames]

You friggin guys. Ya just get under my skin. In the back of my mind and it wont let go.
Had to get up at 5 A.M. yesterday. Fill a quart mason jar half full of cream. Sit around for 20 minutes shaking watching the news ( that will get you shaking) till I had fresh butter. Used the buttermilk for sourdough French toast, butter on top, local bacon and Maine maple syrup from my neighbor.
My wife just stares at me now. :youcrazy: :youcrazy: :youcrazy: Shes counting on the insurance money.
You guys did this.

 

[NeilMacleod]

lol op:

 

[George]

You are welcome.

Spence

 

[Black Hand]

Had to get up at 5 A.M. yesterday. Fill a quart mason jar half full of cream. Sit around for 20 minutes shaking watching the news ( that will get you shaking) till I had fresh butter.

Use the whip attachment for your hand-mixer (you can also use a stick blender, but it is more messy). Makes butter in about 1 minute (got tired of shaking jars of cream)...