Churning butter is an ancient art, one that has been practiced across the world by many different cultures. Although the paddle churn used in Mongolia to churn yak butter may look different from the barrel churns used in the colonial United States, they serve the same purpose. Turning cream into butter is a simple process of physical agitation; shake or stir the cream long enough, and it begins to form butter.
Instructions
1. Clean and sterilize the butter churn. Fill churn halfway with cream, and allow cream to warm, if it has been chilled. Ideally, cream should be 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit for churning. Check the temperature of the cream with the thermometer and watch for it to reach the right temperature range. If butter is too warm, set churn in a container of cold water. Never add water to the cream.
2. Begin churning. With a traditional butter churn, this will involve agitating the cream with a plunger or "dash" that goes through a hole in the center of the churn's lid. Stir in a circular, rhythmic motion, keeping an eye on the texture of the cream and watching for butter to begin forming. This should take about 30 minutes.
3. When the butter has formed grains the size of grains of wheat, stop churning. If you overchurn the butter, it will introduce too much milk into the butter, which can ruin the taste. If you are using a dash churn, the butter will tend to form a lump around the plunger.
4. Pour the newly formed butter into a sieve to drain out the buttermilk. Reserve the buttermilk for cooking or drinking. Place butter in bowl. With paddles, form the lump into a solid piece of butter, getting as much milk out as possible. Rinse in cold water and continue working the butter with the paddles until the water runs clear. Add salt to taste, if desired. Work as much water out as possible and refrigerate or freeze butter.
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