How to make butter at home is a question asked by many of my readers. Making homemade butter is not that difficult, but easy. Pure homemade butter devoid of any color or preservatives and plus it helps you save a lot of money.....butter is a bit costly these days. DIY butter can be really rewarding. Butter is known as Makhan in Hindi.
Homemade butter has been made by our grandmoms and moms from a long time, but some where along the way; we switched to store-bought ones....maybe because of the ease with which we can get it commercially. If you could recollect all the "Amar Chitra Kadha" series you might have read in your childhood.....all have some story of moms churning butter in traditional ways or haven't you read stories of Lord Krishna....during his childhood.... taking butter and running away playfully while his mom chases.....yes, homemade butter was made in Indian Kitchen from a long time.....maybe hundreds or even thousands of years ago....though traditionally, the method of adding curd/yogurt to the cream and collecting and then churning it (remember there was no freezer in olden days) so, probably the collected cream was churned in two to three days.
I really like to go back to the roots, when it comes to cooking....though I also used commercial butter at times, but one fine day when my monthly "butter budget" shot up....I put a full stop to it....and started making them at home....which I used to do until about 5 years back....and the result is pounds of homemade butter stocked up in my refrigerator......I know you would like the idea of some in your refrigerator too.
Growing up, I have seen amma doing this....so after my marriage; I just assumed that making butter at home was the right thing; plus during the initial years after our marriage, we lived in the remotest hill stations where there was no way to have any access to commercial butter, so making them at home was the only option for me.
You might have noticed that, I have used store-bought butter in some of my cake recipes......even have pics of amul butter on some.....but somewhere along the way; I switched to homemade butter; if my memory is right then I think its from this chocolate poke cake.
"To make butter at home, you need a bit of planning; actually there is not much of a recipe as such to share....all you need to do is boil milk in a pan on the stove top (I do not use microwave). Allow it to cool down in the pan......do not close it with a lid.....keep the pan in the refrigerator preferably overnight......and VOILA! you will have amazing cream on top of the milk pan......you should collect this cream or "pada" as we say in malayalam....I usually collect them in a container and keep in the freezer....once I have two full containers .....I allow it to come to room temp.....and add it into the blender with some water and ice cubes....and blend away.....the result is good, pure, homemade butter.....easy na?".
So, let me show in step by step pictures for your easy understanding; I hope my observations and explanations will help you in better understanding.
Author: Nisa Homey.
Preparation Time: About 15 min.
Here Is How I make:
Here, I boiled 1 liter of milk in my milk cooker/boiler (India), why I use milk boiler (US); is to avoid milk spillage, I just do not have the patience to watch the milk boiling.... so, I use milk cooker and put it on the flame and walk away to do my other household chores and return back when I hear it whistle my name :)
Points to be noted: If you are using a large vessel, pan or whatever you have in hand.....you need not cover it to boil....just boil in an open pan; but if you use milk cooker like me; you will have to cover it with its lid; otherwise it wont whistle. Allow it to cool down to room temp....then pop the pan in the fridge ....for atleast 3 to 4 hours; I usually leave it overnight.
Next day, scoop out the cream on top...it will be slightly hard and there might be some on the sides too; scrape it off and put it in a container. Also, now you have healthy low fat skimmed milk.....dieters are you listening. Below is the milk cooker with the "malai" or "cream" or "pada" on top.....and the container in which I am collecting....I usually collect about two containers. I collect each day and put in this container and keep in the freezer. I have also kept in the fridge; but after a few days there is a fowl stale smell.. Also, please do not ask me how many days it takes to fill up the container...I frankly do not notice that; because, it has sort of become a routine in the morning; this is the first thing I do on a typical morning.
Now, I have the containers full of cream or malai (which I sometimes use in my paneer butter masala instead of amul cream; try it!). I thaw the containers to room temperature. And dunk it into the blender. Pour some water over it and some ice cubes (the colder the better for speedy butter churning). Blend away for 1 1/2 minutes; after about 40-50 seconds, you will start to hear some light noise and it is the sign that butter is forming.....blend away!! Make sure you have a tight lid or else you will end up having a milk storm in your counter...so tight lid is a must.
Look carefully, in the pic.....the water is still plain...
This is the churned butter, look carefully in the pic....the water has turned all milk and that my dear friends is pure buttermilk. store it and use it in cakes.
I then, use my hands to scoop this luscious butter into another bowl filled with water; the water should be slightly on the colder side....warm water makes the butter melt...so the colder the better.....we have to rinse the butter 4 or 5 times or until the water is almost milk free and clean. My, good friend, Sheena (Hi Sheena!) long back told me that it is best to wash 8 times to get the best homemade butter, but yes....I am a bit lazy to heed my friends tip.
Scoop the butter out from the water and store in container and refrigerate it. And start baking Cakes and Cookies
Notes:
If you like your butter to be salted; just add some salt in the water; preferably in the last water cleaning.
The bowl in which I rinsed the butter; will definetely have some traces of butter. I use that butter greased bowl to mix atta (wheat flour) for Roti/Chappathi....the result! I have a clean bowl and soft roties.
If you do not plan to mix roti in the bowl; but still want to get rid of the butter grease....just rise with hot water.
You get butter without shelling out any extra money and skimmed milk too!
Sharing with What's Cookin' Wednesday.
Love this version of butter.
ReplyDeleteLong process though!! but its worth :)
ReplyDeleteIt may look like a long process; but if you collect it everyday....it sort of become a routine....believe me making it is more easier than writing the post :)
Deletenice post. have read it in other blogs. but yours said it in simple way. I ll try. but how many packets of milk do you boil a day. or how long it takes me to collect this much butter ?
ReplyDeleteMitha, I use two packets of milk daily (1 liter Milma milk; blue packet), but each family's milk need is different...and I guess it takes maybe 1 week to fill a container...though I am not so sure because I have not noted it....but will keep an eye on it and update in the blog.....I mean this is so easy! you have to boil milk everyday....plus you get butter too....these days skimmed milk is advised....so double bonus :)
Deletehey I I too use 2 Milma blue packets but add water to it and boil. do you add water and boil. please help as I plan start collecting it this week onwards
DeleteHi Nisa,
ReplyDeleteVery very nice posting👍👍👍
Your butter image got my attention, as looks awesome.
I guess at the time of boiling you have added haldi in it, Right!
And I just want to share my tip, as if we keep cream in the freezer, then we can avoid that cream smell.
I use to follow very same way, except turmeric part
I must say you narate recipe best way👍👍👍
Hi Deep N; you are mistaken, I HAVE NOT ADDED TURMERIC/HALDI ....the yellow color is that of the fat in the milk....which has accumulated on top. Thanks a ton for stopping :)
Deleteamazing butter looks so fluffy, do you also use this butter for baking?
ReplyDeleteWow fantastic post, another way to make butter at home, coz i'll go for the easiest way by churning the butter from cream.
ReplyDeleteHi Nisa,I too make butter the same way only after the cream comes to room temperature I add some curd or buttermilk to it and keep it for setting ,Then next day I churn and get butter.
ReplyDeleteOmg.. Very long and lovy process. I thought bitter would be taken from curd or buttermilk. This is new to me.
ReplyDeleteThat butter looks amazing! I'm going to give homemade butter a shot. I use a ton of it when I bake and it does get pricey.
ReplyDeleteWHt type of milk should I use living in USA?
ReplyDeleteHello Krupa, I use pasteurized toned milk with 3 % fat....if you use homogenized milk, the fat will not come up.....hope this helps and thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteKrupa, you can use heavy cream for making butter in the US.
DeleteThnx for the wonderful tip, for how long do I boil the milk to get the cream?
ReplyDeleteUntil the time the milk is boiled !
DeleteNice and easy way of making butter.....Thanx for sharing......I am gonna giv this a shot!
ReplyDeletehi I made this today. But mine did nt turn as creamier as yours.
ReplyDeleteBut never thought that I would attempt making butter at hoime Your post made me do it.
Thank You!!