Will Work for Cupcakes : Homemade Butter

As much as I love Sugar, I am still a huge advocate of eating whole foods, the more natural the better. But I am also one who can relate to a tiny budget & big dreams. So my hubby and I are doing a slow cleaning out of our fridge and pantry on our journey to health. For me health, is not a diet, it is not a workout obsession routine to make my body more like a man's (let's be honest that just is not for all of us....especially those of us who find ourselves eating popcorn and watching the workout video rather than finishing it...can I get an amen?!)

When I first attempted to switch our diets I almost broke our bank. I had no idea how much I should be spending on what..I know the cheep stuff is cheap..but that's it! What is normal $ in the "hippie organic world? "100 days of real food blog has helped me sooo much! It is a realistic way to eat good food without GMOs or MSG. She is simple with her recipes and they are yummy!!! I have learned so much for her blog as well as the Nourishing Traditions book (I got mine on Amazon). Both include recipes and are filled with information. As a full time working lady & full-time wifey I love getting "two-birds-with-one-stone."

Thus, my small steps advice. Start with produce, then move to dairy, then to meats etc...I have found I am learning so much as I take one day at a time, and keep the right perspective in mind (perfect health is not achievable, good health is).

okay...all this to say...I am in the switch over from chemical dairy to "real" dairy. I successfully made butter on my first try! WOOHOO (seriously, I rarely get a recipe right the first go around) It was so delicious. For the picture above I used the raw milk recipe. Actually, all in all, it was rather simple. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to rely on this as our main source of butter so I keep it as my fun DIY project. For every day use we use GHEE and for baking (which I try to do in moderation, we use the reg grocery store butter) Buying raw butter, for us, is out of the question....at $13.00 for a little tub it's a budget breaker. Raw milk is more expensive then regular milk, but we freeze half of it and make it last all month (since it's just the two of us) We get the raw milk for about $8/gal from a local farm. It's my treat splurge.

Anyways here is the raw butter recipe, from Nourishing Traditions book:

RECIPE Using Milk

Items Needed:

1 qrt. Organic or Raw Milk

Wide-Mouth Mason Jar (Or glass Jar w/ Lid)
Food processor or blender (with steal blade)

Salt
Wooden spoon
Wooden or stainless steal bowl
Strainer

Butter Dish

Steps:

1. Pour milk into the glass jar & leave in room temperature for about 8 hours (with lid on)

2. Place soured milk in the food processor and process until butter forms.

3. Place the butter & the liquid (which is buttermilk) in a strainer (make sure to place it over a small bowl in order to save your buttermilk for baking!)

4. Remove the butter from the strainer and place it in a wooden or stainless steal bowl & press out buttermilk with a wooden spoon ... continue to poor the buttermilk into the strainer set over the small bowl ...the one that's collecting your buttermilk.

5. Wash the butter by adding a little cold water and continue to press the butter with the wooden spoon.

6. Continue to wash the butter until the butter no longer exudes buttermilk

7. Roll the butter into a ball and pat dry

8. Place the butter in a crock and pour the buttermilk into a glass container. Cover and store in fridge...or freeze

If you don't have the eight hours to wait on the milk to sour here is a faster way to make butter. It is more expensive route to go because of the raw organic cream, ($12 at our health store) but then again, time is money right? ;)

RECIPE Using Cream

Items Needed:

Organic or Raw Cream

Wide-Mouth Mason Jar (Or glass Jar w/ Lid)
Wooden or stainless steal bowl
Wooden Spoon
Strainer

Salt

Butter Dish

Steps:

1. Fill a glass jar, with a screw-on-lid, (I used a wide-mouthed large mason jar) with the cream.

2. To form the butter shake the cream for about 10- 15 minutes until the cream separates. You now have the butter fully formed (yes I count this as part of my exercise for the day, throw in some squats too while your shaking the cream for an extra sweat haha).

3. Place the butter in a strainer. Keep the liquid, it is buttermilk and will be great in pancakes, bread, baking etc.
4. In order to make sure that all the buttermilk is out of the butter, place the strainer with the butter in very cold water. Gently press out the remaining buttermilk. (The colder the better so the butter won't melt). Make sure the water stays very cold while continuing to knead the butter until the water is clear and no longer "murky". Do you very best to get on the buttermilk pressed out of the butter. Remaining buttermilk will cause the butter to spoil quicker.

5. Place the butter (preferably in an stainless steal or wooden mixing bowl) and add salt to your desired taste. (Either use your hands or wooden spoons.

6. Place butter in your butter dish and ENJOY! & have fun showing off your "Little House On The Prairie" butter.