For the majority of Indian households, milk and its products constitute a vital and important ingredient. Curd (yoghurt), butter, buttermilk, ghee, paneer, khoya, and cream are all produced from a single source of milk and are utilised in a variety of cuisines. This recipe post demonstrates how to make full fat 35% milk-fat cream into buttermilk and butter which may be used for a variety of purposes.
A quick and straightforward method of preparing a vital and significant component of every Indian cooking home. Although there are other methods for making butter and ghee, this recipe emphasizes the use of full cream and the process of extracting butter from it. The butter can be used to make clarified butter or ghee, bake with it, or spread it on bread to make toast. Here’s the recipe for homemade butter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, with a minimum fat content of 35%.
- 2 cups of cold water or as required.
- Salt or crushed black pepper, to taste
Method
To get the cream out of the milk:
- In the event that you make fresh cream or malai at home from milk, store it in the freezer.
- This cream is collected daily and stored in a freezer container.
- Once you’ve gathered two or three cups of cream, you may easily turn it into butter. Soften the cream.
- You can microwave it to defrost it or leave it on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
- Add ¼ cup yoghurt to 2 cups of cream to culture it. When you add the yoghurt, the cream should be cool.
- Mix thoroughly and let the cream culture for 7 to 8 hours.
- The cream will thicken, become jiggly, and set nicely after fermentation.
- This cultured cream should be chilled by being placed in the refrigerator for a few hours.
To whip the cream:
- Add the cream or cultured cream to a blender, food processor, or bowl. To beat the cream in a bowl, turn on the blender, food processor, or electric blender
- When whipping, the cream will first start to smooth out, giving you whipped cream with soft peaks at first and hard peaks subsequently
- Continue until you notice the thick butter and the buttermilk beginning to separate. Butter chunks will be visible floating in the buttermilk
- Make sure to scrape the whipping blades with a spatula and add the butter solids back to the bowl because the butter will also be caught on the blades
- Immediately pour 1/2 cup of very cold water over the butter in the bowl. The butter will harden up and become solid as a result
To rinse homemade butter:
- Place a mesh strainer on top of a bowl and line it with cheesecloth or muslin.
- From the bowl, transfer the butter and buttermilk to the cheesecloth.
- Using a spatula, scrape the butter from the bowl's sides onto the cheesecloth.
- As you carefully press the leftover whey or buttermilk from the butter, gather the edges and bundle them together. A lovely lump of handmade white butter will be visible when you open the cheesecloth.
- Buttermilk will have gathered in the bowl’s bottom once the butter has been removed.
- Place the cheesecloth and butter on the mesh strainer at this point.
- Place the mesh strainer on top of the bowl where you whipped the cream.
- In order to remove more buttermilk from the butter, we shall rinse it in ice-cold water.
- 1/2 cup of cold water should be gently poured over the butter. The butter will cool and solidify as a result.
- To extract more buttermilk from the butter, press the butter with a wooden spoon or spatula
- Pour 1/2 cup of cold water over again, then press the butter to release the buttermilk
- Put the butter in an airtight container after removing it from the cheesecloth. Any white butter that is still adhered to the cheesecloth can be scooped off with a spoon or spatula and transferred to a container
- In the refrigerator, butter stays fresh for a few weeks. The butter will last for about a month if the buttermilk is drained properly.
