Keyword dairy from scratch, homemade butter, raw cream butter, shaken butter
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Raw cream soured in the fridge or on the counter, then shaken in a mason jar until it turns into tangy cultured butter.
Ingredients
Raw creamany quantity (for example a single cup)
Optional salt/seasonings: garlic powderoregano, mint or thyme, 1⁄4 teaspoon at a time, to taste
Equipment: quart-sized mason jar; cheesecloth, a clean flour sack towel or a jelly-strainer bag; glass container for the buttermilk; spoon; bowl; cool water
Directions
Sour the cream: either refrigerate it until it sours on its own (a week or longer), or pour it into a loosely covered mason jar, no more than 3/4 full, and leave it in a warm spot until it smells slightly sour. The more sour it is, the tangier the butter.
Put on the lid and band and shake hard, slamming the cream against the sides. It should begin to thicken within 5 to 15 minutes.
When clumps of butter form and pull away from the sides, shake at a steadier pace.
When almost no liquid is left and the sides are clear, pour it into cheesecloth, a towel, or a bag to drain, catching the buttermilk in a glass container.
Press the butter with a spoon to squeeze out as much buttermilk as you can. Rinse gently with cool water until the water runs clear.
Put the butter in a bowl and mix in salt or seasonings to taste, 1⁄4 teaspoon at a time.
Keep covered in the refrigerator, or freeze.
Keep the buttermilk in a glass container in the refrigerator for later.
Notes
Safety: this uses raw cream soured at room temperature; raw milk and cream carry a risk of harmful bacteria. Discard cream that smells bad or grows mold. (This is also a shake-in-a-jar method; see Shaken butter in a jar.)