Butter – Kefir cultured Seriously addictive!
Yield: 1 large block or two small blocks
Prep time: 5 mins plus 5 mins grooving and shaking!
Total time: 16 -24 hours ferment time
Ingredients
Pouring Cream | 600ml go for a good quality cream without any
fillers or additives.
Milk Kefir grains | 2TB – see note
Salt | to taste
Directions
Place your cream in a clean, sterilised jar and add the milk kefir grains (see note). I like to place my grains in a piece of open weave muslin cloth and loosely tie it up then drop that bundle into the cream, it simply makes them easier to remove later on, but don’t worry if there are any strays left behind – you can just eat them along with the butter, they are so very good for you.
Cover your jar with a clean muslin cloth (or similar) and secure with a rubber band, allow the jar to sit at room temperature for 16-24 hours.
Remove your Milk Kefir grains from the jar, fit the jar with a clean lid, place the jar into the fridge for a few hours to get nice and cold, remove the jar put on your favourite tune then dance and shake like your kitchen is Studio 54. I am quite partial to Earth Wind & Fire for this practice – my Boogie Wonderland Butter. Of course you can use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment for this but how BORING!
After you’ve been grooving for a short while you will see the transformation start to take place, it will start to look like a cream whip, then it will start to look grainy, and then you will see the whey become separate from the butter fat. Keep shaking until you are comfortable that you have a big blob of butter going on in the jar.
Once the butter has appeared and you are deliriously happy, strain the butter well using a sieve and bowl – PLEASE do not throw away that white liquid, it is the equivalent of butter milk and you can use it in exactly the same manner – pancakes, sauces etc. If you’re not sure what to do with it right now, freeze it. There will be more recipes coming here soon to help you along with some suggestions and tips.
Give the butter a brief rinse, gently squeeze out any extra white liquid then place it back into the fridge, just for a little while, from now on it’s good to be working with cool hands and colder butter – we want to shape and salt our butter quickly so it doesn’t melt. Once the butter is cooled, sprinkle your salt in and shape as desired, ball, log – whatever takes your fancy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and feel incredibly satisfied every single time you consume or serve. What are Milk Kefir grains? I am so glad you asked and without getting super technical, they are your SCOBY – Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, they are the dudes and chicks that are bringing the culture to this party. They look a little like cauliflower florets and they are spongy (well, healthy ones should be), they are a REAL and living thing, you cannot manufacture them. Their original source is kind of tricky to be certain of, there are quite a few stories out there and I find some more probable than others so I will leave that to you to research if you feel the need. There are a few very reputable sources of Kefir grains out there and they are easily accessed, please feel free to drop me a line and I will happily recommend a supplier.
