Mossy Life

French-Style Cultured Butter

This is real butter - cultured butter with flavor and complexity. It takes time (mostly hands-off), but the difference is huge. If you've ever wondered why butter in France tastes better, this is why.

About the Cream

The cream matters. You want heavy cream without additives like carrageenan (a thickener/stabilizer). Alpenrose is excellent if you're in Portland - clean ingredient list, 40% fat, available at most grocery stores. Other good options: Straus, Organic Valley, or local dairies.

I've also used Darigold (which does contain carrageenan) and it works, but expect lower yield and softer butter. The carrageenan interferes with the churning process.

Ingredients

For 1 gallon batch:

• 1 gallon (128 oz) heavy cream (preferably 40% fat)
• 4 tablespoons cultured buttermilk, crème fraîche, or plain yogurt with live cultures
• 1.5-2 teaspoons fine sea salt per pound of butter (or 2-3 tsp flaky sea salt)
• Optional: fresh herbs after churning (thyme, rosemary, chives work well)

Yield from 1 gallon Darigold: About 3.5 pounds of butter + 2-3 quarts of real cultured buttermilk

Equipment

• Large bowl or container (at least 1 gallon capacity)
• Stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer, or shake it in a jar if you prefer)
• Cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel
• Spatula
• Ice water
• Kitchen scale (helpful for salting)

The Process

Day 1 - Culturing (Morning)

This is where the flavor happens. You're making crème fraîche first, then churning it into butter.

1. Pour the cream into a large bowl or container
2. Stir in 4 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk (or yogurt, or crème fraîche) until mixed
3. Cover loosely with cheesecloth or a clean towel - it needs air circulation
4. Leave at room temperature (65-72°F) for 18-24 hours

What to expect: The cream will thicken noticeably and develop a tangy, slightly sour smell. Taste it - it should be pleasantly sour, like crème fraîche. Not spoiled-milk sour, but tangy and complex.

Longer = tangier. French butter is quite tangy, so I usually go toward 24 hours. If you want milder butter, stop at 18 hours.

Day 2 - Chilling (Morning)

You need the cultured cream cold but not ice-cold before churning.

1. Cover the cultured cream and refrigerate for 2-4 hours
2. Target temperature: 50-60°F (cold but not ice-cold)

Churning

This is the fun part. You're about to turn liquid cream into solid butter.

1. Pour the chilled cultured cream into your stand mixer bowl
2. Use the whisk attachment, start on low-medium speed (speed 4-6 on KitchenAid)
3. Watch the progression:
   • Liquid → thickens → whipped cream peaks → grainy → suddenly breaks
4. When it breaks (usually 5-15 minutes), butter clumps together and buttermilk separates
5. Stop immediately - don't over-churn

The "break" is obvious - one moment you have thick grainy cream, the next moment you have yellow butter clumps floating in milky liquid. You'll know it when you see it.

Washing (CRITICAL)

This step is what makes it French butter. American butter is barely washed. French butter is thoroughly washed. It's the difference between butter that goes rancid in a week and butter that stays fresh for weeks.

1. Drain the buttermilk into a container - SAVE THIS! (more on that below)
2. Add ice-cold water to cover the butter
3. Use a spatula to press and knead the butter against the bowl for 30 seconds
4. The water will turn cloudy/milky - pour it off
5. Repeat 4-6 times until the water runs completely clear

Why wash? You're removing trapped buttermilk. Any buttermilk left in the butter will spoil quickly and give it an off flavor. Clear water = properly washed butter = longer shelf life.

Working the Butter

Now you're getting rid of trapped water and making the texture uniform.

1. Press the butter firmly with a spatula to expel trapped water
2. Fold and press repeatedly for 2-3 minutes
3. The butter should feel smooth and uniform, with no water pockets
4. Pour off any released liquid

Salting

French butter is often lightly salted or unsalted. I prefer lightly salted for everyday use.

1. Weigh your butter
2. Add salt at 1-1.5% by weight:
   • For 3.5 pounds butter: 1.5-2 teaspoons fine sea salt
   • Or 2-3 teaspoons flaky sea salt (Maldon, Jacobsen)
3. Work the salt in thoroughly with your spatula
4. Taste and adjust if needed

Flaky vs. fine salt: Flaky salt (Maldon, Jacobsen) gives you little bursts of salt, which is nice on bread. Fine sea salt distributes more evenly. Both work.

Shaping

1. Pack the butter into a mold or parchment-lined container
2. Press firmly to eliminate air pockets
3. Smooth the top with a spatula
4. Cover and refrigerate

You can also form it into logs wrapped in parchment paper, or press it into ramekins, or whatever works for you. I usually just pack it into a rectangular container.

Storage

• Refrigerator: 2-3 weeks (if washed properly)
• Freezer: 6+ months (wrap well)

The thorough washing is what gives you the long fridge life. Poorly washed butter goes bad in less than a week.

The Cultured Buttermilk

Don't throw this away. This is real buttermilk - not the cultured skim milk they sell in stores. This is the liquid left over from churning cultured cream, and it's fantastic.

Use it for:

• Biscuits (the best you'll ever make)
• Pancakes and waffles
• Fried chicken brine
• Ranch dressing

Storage: Use within 1 week, refrigerated. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.

Why Bother?

Fair question. Store butter is $4-6/lb. This takes effort. But:

1. It tastes better. Noticeably better. Complex, tangy, with real flavor.
2. It's cheaper if you buy cream in bulk. About $5/lb vs $8-12/lb for good cultured butter.
3. You get real buttermilk as a bonus product.
4. You can customize it - add herbs, adjust salt levels, control the tanginess.
5. It's satisfying to make something this good from scratch.

Once you taste real cultured butter, store butter can seem pretty bland. That's the one challenge with making this - you might not want to go back.