Understanding the Process of Making Butter from Buttermilk

It is a common misconception that you can make butter from buttermilk. In reality, buttermilk is a byproduct of the butter-making process. Let's explore the steps and ingredients involved in making butter from cream and how buttermilk is formed.

The Process of Making Butter from Cream

Ingredients Needed: Heavy whipping cream (preferably without stabilizers like carrageenan)

Here are the steps to make butter from cream:

Pour a quart of heavy whipping cream into a jar. Shake the jar vigorously. Continue shaking until you notice that a lump of butter starts to form. Allow the cream to separate, ultimately leaving you with butter and buttermilk. If desired, you can add salt to your cream to make salted butter. This will also change the consistency of the buttermilk to a salty taste. Filter the buttermilk from the butter, leaving you with a sweet buttermilk.

This entire process might take about half an hour and is crucial to understanding that buttermilk is not used to make butter but is a product left after butter is made.

Common Misunderstandings

Many people confuse buttermilk with being the result of butter-making, but in reality, it is the opposite. Buttermilk is the liquid left over after churning milk into butter.

BUTTER AND BUTTERMILK ARE BOTH BY-PRODUCTS OF CREAM. Overwhipped cream separates into a creamy mass (butter) and a liquid (buttermilk). This process can be observed either as the liquid left over when butter is extracted from cream or as milk fat clumping together during the churning process.

Commercial vs. Traditional Buttermilk

In the past, buttermilk was indeed the liquid left after churning butter. However, modern commercial buttermilk is often produced by introducing beneficial bacteria into milk. Despite this difference, both methods share the foundational process of fat clumping in milk.

For a simple but detailed explanation, you can follow the steps outlined here: Like Butter Baby: Why Churning Your Own Buttermilk is Worth the Effort.

Summary:

Buttermilk is a byproduct of butter-making, not a raw ingredient. Heavy whipping cream is the primary ingredient for making butter, not buttermilk. Churning heavy cream leads to the formation of butter and buttermilk. Commercial buttermilk is often produced through bacterial fermentation, while traditional buttermilk is a leftover liquid from butter-making.

Understanding these distinctions can help in appreciating the complexity and origin of these two essential ingredients in dairy products.