First Fail ...Cultured Butter

Take 1

Opted to try this recipe starting from milk. The market I have been getting raw milk from buys from a number of dairies and lists the delivery dates for each brand.  Super informative for the freshness factor, but not necessarily any indication of cream potential. The one I choose did not end up with much in any event.

Milk Source: MOFGA Certified Organic herd of Jersey cows at Dandelion Spring Farm in Newcastle, Maine. 

Left the milk out in the warmest part of the kitchen for 24 hours, but I doubt it maintained the suggested 70 degrees, especially during the night.  I think (could be wrong here) this might affect the flavor more than than volume of cream. 

After 24 hours, the milk went into the fridge for an additional 12 hours. 36 hours later in total, there was hardly a discernible layer of cream on top.  We did our best to ladle off the top, but some milk definitely mixed in.

It was hard to know how long to keep the food processor on while churning.  The recipe suggests to "stop when there's a slight splashing sound from the buttermilk." I didn't really recognize this, but did see some flecks of butter and shut it down shortly after that.  Curious as to the consequences of over-churning.  Would the creaminess or spread-ability be affected because there is more buttermilk incorporated?

Was it something we did or just the milk?

In the end we ended up with a rather petite, but proud ball of butter.  Hella expensive buttered toast! 

  Voila!

Take 2

Inspired by the following: 1) bitter from take 1 fail, 2) wanted to use one of the cultures I had purchased in the mail, 3) butter was on the shopping list.

I followed the recipe using Smiling Hill Farm cream.  It worked out well. 

Basic Steps

• slowly heat 1 quart of cream to 68F
• add 1 teaspoon Aroma B Culture and let hydrate for 5 minutes
• whisk up and down 20 times
• leave cream in the fridge for 12 hours to ripen the culture
• warm cream at room temperature until 54F
• Churn
• Strain in butter muslin
• knead into shape

My only concern is that I might have over churned in the food processor.  I'd like to to experiment some more with this in the future. We filled 2 6 ounce flass jars... presently using one and froze the other.

Homemade Cultured Butter: fully stocked with reserves.. very cool!