Recipe: Homemade Butter and Buttermilk

Lately, I've been trying to teach Liam where food comes from and how it's made.  We've been having loads of fun cooking and shopping together.  That's what sort of led me to making our own butter.....that and the fact that the cost of organic butter from pasturing cows is really outrageous.  I figured if I could save a handful of change, then, I'd be happy.  Plus, this became an educational experience for Liam which is always a good thing.

The cool thing about making your own butter is that you also end up making your own buttermilk.  Since we use buttermilk pretty frequently in our recipes, I was thrilled to learn this.....and yes.....I just learned that buttermilk is the leftover stuff from butter.....so a learning experience for me as well!

Homemade Butter and Buttermilk

1 pint of heavy cream (we used organic cream from pasturing cows)
Very cold water
Salt to taste (optional)

1.  Place the bowl of your stand mixer in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes.  Make sure both the bowl and the heavy cream are cold to help the butter making process.
2.  Using the stand mixer, pour the heavy cream into the bowl.  Mix for about 10 minutes.  First, the cream will turn into whipped cream.  Then, you will notice that it turns into what looks like cottage cheese.  When it is done, you will see that there are large yellowish chunks of butter surrounded by a milky liquid.  The butter will look like the stuff you see in the store but in chunk form.
3.  Using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain the butter chunks from the liquid (which is buttermilk).  Store the liquid for later use in recipes that call for buttermilk.
4.  Place the butter back into the stand mixer bowl.  Add about a cup or two of very cold water.  Mix again for another couple of minutes.  Strain.  Repeat this step 2-3 times.
5.  In a container that has a tight cover (ex: Mason jar or very tight fitting glass Tupperware), spoon about a tablespoon of the butter into the container and press it in very tightly.  Drain off any liquid that gets squeezed out.  You can mix in little bits of salt during this step if you prefer salted butter.  Repeat until all the butter is pressed into the container.

There you have it!  You very own homemade butter and buttermilk.  Not only does the butter and buttermilk taste amazing and fresh, but you can also use this as a fun activity for your kids.  Enjoy!