Making butter at home is really quite simple and it tastes absolutely delicious on hot toast or in just about anything you choose to do with it – fresh is fresh! The other nice part is that since you’re in control of the entire process, there’s no end to the flavors you can create – think parsley, pepper, jalapeno, coriander… anything at all!
Here’s how to do it:
- Collect some cream: We generally boil full cream milk, let it cool and skim off the thick layer of cream the next morning. This is then collected and you soon have a bowl of lovely cream to work with in a week or so, depending on the amount of milk you consume at home.
- Start whipping: Using a whisk, start beating away. Preferably, switch on your TV and keep that wrist moving. It’s alright to take brief breaks in between.
- Change of Instruments: Soon your cream will become really thick. It isn’t butter yet, but it’ll be quite thick. Thick enough to clog your whisk. Use a wooden spoon or something else you’re comfortable with at this point and keep going.
- Cool it down: It’s hot here in India, so my butter begins melting quite soon. When you notice the mixture becoming granular and some water separating from the mixture, add a couple of ice cubes. This will keep the butter cold and encourage it to form a large glob. At this time you can also think of adding any flavoring or seasoning if you wish.
- Eat it!: You should now have a dollop of luscious white butter. Go. Eat.
- Sid
wow………now i am craving methi roti(fenugreek roti) which i had in the pind in faridkot with this butter…ghar ke makkhan ki baat hi kuch aur hai!!
This is the best tasting butter ever. So fresh and clean and pure.
I can probably eat that entire bowl if it has salt in it.. oh so healthy but oh so good! Your images are beautiful! How often do you make it?
Greetings!
I’ve noticed that Indian nationals in general prefer to make their own butter or ghee.
Is there any particular reason for that in their history?
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles
@Robert-Giles: I’d say this used to be true in general and applies today only to traditional families, who have the kind of time these activities demand. Most people I know buy commercially produced butter and ghee. We’ve begun doing it the hard way, because it tastes so much better.
Historically and perhaps today too, in rural areas, milk is generally in abundance and it’s cheaper to make butter and ghee at home. Other reasons are probably because of the aura of freshness and purity that homemade butter and ghee has acquired I guess.
Dear Sid!
Greetings!
Thank you very much for the explanations and information!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles
I think the best reason to make it at home is that you know what went in there. You can change it as you want. I like home made butter with no flavor added with Aloo Paratha’s. The marketed stuff can’t come close in taste.
Hey Sid
I’m having a real make your own butter, paneer, yogurt moment – all skills I’ve had to learn here as they’ve been completely lost at home in UK.
With a friend we tried to make butter this week and after a wrist-wrecking half hour, the cream returned to a a stubborn creamy mass. Probably not a great idea in 43 degree heat with no ac! We didn’t have any ice to hand – would that have saved it?
Cheers
Pamela
@Pamela: good to see you here! Yup, the heat probably did it, as will extreme cold. Ice would probably have saved it. Happened a few days ago at home too. Used it for tea and coffee.
This is nice but the butter would be quite tasteless. I would recommend adding some iodized salt to the mixture.
Can’t one use a cake beater instead of a whisk (Over a bowl of ice)
@Aparna: Of course – anything you’re comfortable with, as long as you’re whisking/beating/churning the stuff.
I have a question: How to make butter from homemade yogurt?
The method is the same Kunti! The yogurt however has to be the full cream variety. Churn and gradually keep adding water until the butter floats on top. Skim off the surface and keep adding water and churning until no more butter floats on top.
By the way do not throw away the butter milk that remains after you have skimmed off all the butter. It is a very cooling and tasty drink. Just add a little salt and jeera powder ( crushed cumminseed ) or pudina. (mint). The butter milk is also used to make ‘Kadhi’,.
Thanks for advices Vinny!
Actually I skimmed the cream off the milk after I boiled it, then I made yogurt from that milk.
Maybe this homemade yogurt contains to much whey, so I will try to drain it through a cloth for some time, so that some whey goes out and then I will try to churn it.
This milk bought from the farm cointans so much cream that even if I skimmed it, the milk still has creamy cover on top when it gets cold.
Anyway, I will try again.
Can you also tell me how long approximately the yogurt has to be churned until the firts butter floats on top?
And do I have to add just cold water or crushed ice while churning?
Kunti
Unless the weather is very warm there is no need to add cold water. If you have a time problem I suggest you use a mixer grinder to churn the butter or an electric hand mixer the results will be the same and faster.The water is added only so that you can get a clear distinction between the yogurt and the butter. Makes it easier to seperate the butter and remove it. I cannot tell you exactly how long it takes because the time taken depends on a lot of factors – the weather, the consistency of the yogurt, the creaminess or the lack of it etc…
In some Indian villages there are a few rich farmers, who use a washing machine (top load) to churn the yogurt and make butter.