This past week I did a lesson with the boys on how to make butter. Originally I was going for a straight imparting of information but it turned into a bit of a science experiment. You see I bought the wrong dairy product. I reached for whipping cream and came away with table cream. I didn't realize my mistake until we were well into it so I had to think fast to redeem myself. I guess I could have said "hey look, I bought the wrong thing!" but why? After our first run we got our hands on some whipping cream and did it all again!First experiment (500 ml Table Cream): Shake time: 40 min. Butter achieved: about 1/4 cup.
Second experiment (500 ml whipping cream): Shake time: 14 min. Butter achieved: about 1 cup.
We made a few loaves of bread with the buttermilk and had daddy help us with a taste test to round out the experiment.
For those who would like to give this a try, you will need WHIPPING CREAM (learn from my mistakes people), a big ol' mason jar with lid... or other seal able container which allows lots of shaking room (the more space, the faster the process), a bowl, a wooden spoon, and a sieve to drain off the buttermilk from the butter.
Pour milk into the jar. Shake like crazy. You will eventually get whipped cream... keep going. As soon as the liquid separates from the milk solids you're golden! Pour it all out into the sieve, KEEP THE MILK (it's great for making bread, biscuits, pancake batter, etc.) Plop your butter into a bowl, take a wooden spoon to it to extract any remaining milk... and presto! You can stir in a pinch of salt if you like, or go unsalted.
