Butter is an incredibly important part of many of our diets that often is overlooked. It goes on so many things; it goes in so many things. It makes a warm muffin better all around.
Butter is important for your whole body, too, not just your tongue. According to WebMD, butter contains vitamin D, a nutrient vital for bone growth and development. It also has calcium, which is essential for bone strength. Calcium also helps prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones weak and fragile. It can help make your skin healthier. It totally counts toward your daily three to five recommended servings of dairy too.
Prices of butter at the store are a bit high right now, thanks in part to reduced output from dairy cows across country, thanks in part to the drought conditions many of us dealt with. Less rain meant less grass for the cows to munch on. That’s okay, though. Making your own butter is actually really easy.
Put away that image of Ma Ingalls sitting on a stool, toiling for hours with a butter churn. All you need to make your own butter – literally – is some heavy cream and a mason jar.
That’s it.
There is a little bit of a workout involved if you use just those two items, but if you have a hand mixer or a stand mixer, feel free to use those as well. Butter comes from whipping the cream until it breaks down into solid butter and liquid buttermilk. Just remove the buttermilk when you’ve reached the consistency you want.
The coolest part of making your butter is that you can season it however you want. Want some really garlicky butter for garlic bread? Skip the garlic powder and add in some minced garlic. Want something sweet? Toss in some cinnamon sugar. If you have a favorite spice in the spice cabinet, you can add it to your butter. Just put it in before you whip it up.
Editor Courtney is a rosemary butter aficionado, if you’re curious. It works incredibly well on English muffins in the morning.
Want to learn more about this dairy-licious opportunity? Check out the tips and techniques from the pros at King Arthur Baking Company.
