French Butter Recipe
Make rich, tangy French butter at home with just heavy cream, yogurt, and salt. Better flavor and more butterfat than store-bought. You'll feel like you're eating fresh butter in France!
Servings: 13 ounces
Calories: 255kcal
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 butter paddles
Ingredients
- 34 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons yogurt with live cultures
- 4 grams salt or other seasoning
Instructions
- Combine the yogurt and cream together in a large container like a cambro or a bowl. Place your lid loosely on the container or cover with a kitchen towel.
- Place the cream on the counter for 12-48 hours or until the cream looks thickened and smells slightly tangy.
- Put the thickened cream into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, and whisk on medium speed until the fat separates from the buttermilk.
- Prepare three large bowls of ice water and set them aside.
- Place the soft butter curds into the first bowl of ice water until they firm up.
- Squeeze the butter curds to remove as much buttermilk as possible.
- Move the butter to the second bowl and continue washing the curds.
- In the final bowl of ice water, the water should be clear after washing.
- Place the cold butter onto a wooden cutting board and pound it flat with butter paddles or a wooden spoon.
- Remove any excess water with a paper towel or towel. Try to remove as much water as possible while continuously pressing on the butter.
- Add in your salt or preferred seasonings and mix it into the butter.
- Shape the butter into a rectangle with your butter paddles, wrap in parchment paper, and enjoy or freeze for later.
Video
Notes
Cream choice: Pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized cream cultures most reliably. Grass-fed cream gives a more complex flavor and deeper yellow color.
Yogurt: You must have live and active cultures. Check the label. Dead cultures will not ferment the cream.
Buttermilk: Reserve for pancakes, biscuits, brioche, sourdough, or salad dressing. It keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Compound butter: Soften finished butter and knead in herbs, garlic, honey, miso, or any other flavoring. Roll in parchment paper into a log and refrigerate.
Storage:
- Refrigerator: airtight container or parchment paper, 2 to 4 weeks.
- Freezer: double-wrapped, up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ounce | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 78mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1094IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 0.1mg
