[Homesteadingfamily] Making sweet cream butter in the blender..

Making Sweet Cream Butter in the Blender:
by Deb Ridings

Use only stainless steel or plastic when working with milk. NO ALUMINUM.

1) Remove all cream from the fresh milk. Gently push the ladle downward into the cream allowing it to flow over the ladle side. Pour into blender jar or clean container. When you begin to draw lighter colored milk, stop. (You will notice a darker cream band separated from the lighter colored milk…remove until this band of separation disappears)

2) Fill blender jar to fill line with thoroughly chilled cream. (Cream will make butter quicker if really cold) Place blender jar onto base and turn on low/medium speed. Notice the sound of the motor….you will notice a distinct change or "bogging down" sound when the butter begins to form. Allow about 3-4 minutes for the cream to change from the liquid cream, to whipped cream (you can stop at this point and add a tablespoon or two of confectioner's sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla flavor for REAL whipped cream….but just barely pulse to blend the sugar and flavor or it will continue on into making butter)

3) When you hear the motor changing sounds, be careful to watch closely for the butter to begin forming around the blades. When the motor sounds as though it is straining, turn off the blender and allow it to stand for about 5 minutes. You will see the butter particles forming at the top of the container, also.

4) Remove the blender top. Tip the jar sideways and use a hard plastic/rubber spatula to hold the butter back and allow the excess milk to run out. Some loose butter will float to the top…this can be pressed back into the larger clump. The excess milk may be collected and used in biscuits, mashed potatoes, cornbread, etc….anywhere you would normally use milk and butter. It is NOT true buttermilk, although it is milk with bits of butter in it. Do not store in the fridge for more than 2-3 days….it sours quickly.

5) When you have drained the milk off, coax the remaining butter out of the jar with the spatula and into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Run the coldest water from the faucet into the bowl GENTLY with the butter and be careful to catch any small floaters and stick them back to the bigger clump. Begin to mash and fold the butter with the spatula and work out the excess milk while in the water. Pour the water off, refill and repeat until the water begins to run clear. A bit of this milk in the butter does not hurt anything and will not change the butter at all. If too much is left in, the butter seems to sour sooner. When the water is clear, pour off the water and continue to press the butter against the side of the bowl. Do this until no more water runs out of the pressed butter.
6) When the water is clear and no more milky water is pouring off, drain the last time, lightly salt (about 10 quick shakes of the shaker), work it into the butter with the spatula and taste after each addition of salt until it as you like it. Spray a mold with pan spray, if desired, and place the butter into it. Tap on counter to pack the butter into the shape of the mold. Chill for about 30 minutes and the butter should fall right out of the mould. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate or freeze in Ziploc bags. Butter can be used immediately instead of molded.

HINTS:
I use cheap plastic Jello moulds from Big Lots, but any plastic container will do. I invested in some fancy, expensive wooden butter molds from Germany. I coated them with mineral oil, as it said to do, they still split. I worry about bacteria in the wooden molds when working with raw cream, so I went to HDPE plastic cups. Butter may be frozen for up to 6 months wrapped tightly and sealed in a bag.

NON ELECTRIC METHOD:
Fresh raw butter can be made by simply using a Mason jar. Place the chilled cream into the jar (I chill the jar, too, for about an hour before I make the butter) and simply shake the jar vigorously back and forth for about 30 minutes. You will not get the higher yield as with the blender method, but it still will make butter. Let the kids do this…it if fun to watch!