Author Topic: Help me culture my next batch of butter?  (Read 6292 times)

Jessica_H

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Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« on: January 12, 2011, 05:08:14 AM »
Ok,

I've got buttermilk from butter I just made a few hours ago sitting in the fridge.  Can I use this to culture my next batch of butter that I'll make tomorrow night?

Do I just put 2 TBS per gallon in the cream and let it sit out for about 3 hours?  Or do I need to do something else with it first?

Thanks!

mtncheesemaker

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2011, 02:06:15 PM »
Is it buttermilk from cultured butter? If so, use 1 T/quart of cream, leave it on the counter for 12-24 hours, until it is thick.
If it's from sweet butter it won't work.

Jessica_H

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2011, 05:15:59 PM »
Quote
If it's from sweet butter it won't work.

It is sweet butter.  So is there no good use for the buttermilk that comes from this butter?  Is it still good for baking?

Has anyone ever added this back into the skimmed milk when you make cheese?

FarmerJd

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2011, 06:54:42 PM »
I've never added it to a cheese make but you can still culture it and bake with it.

MrsKK

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2011, 04:38:42 PM »
I have used sweet buttermilk for baking and it is wonderful.  I have also used it for cheesemaking, but can't off the top of my brain right now tell you what the results were.

If you want cultured butter, you will need to start with a culture.  Either store-bought cultured buttermilk, which in my experience gives great butter with subtle differences, higher yield, and a nicely spreadable butter at room temperature.  Or you can use a commerical culture, with which I have no experience.

dthelmers

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2011, 07:39:02 PM »
I've been culturing with Flora Danica with great results.
Dave in CT

Jessica_H

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2011, 08:41:01 PM »
Quote
I've been culturing with Flora Danica with great results.

I have some FD. Can you tell me more? Do I put some in buttermilk(how much), let it sit (how long), and then put that in the cream?

dthelmers

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2011, 09:24:05 PM »
I pitch the Flora Danica right into the cream, 1/8 teaspoon for 2 quarts. I hold the cream at 90f in the Kitchenaid bowl sitting in  hot water in my electric roaster for 12 hours or more. It gets quite thick. I chill it, then use the whip blade to churn it.
Dave in CT

KosherBaker

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2011, 05:25:51 AM »
Can you tell me more? Do I put some in buttermilk(how much),
Hi Jess.
Buttermilk is Cultured Milk. That is milk that already has cultures in it. It is the classic Mesophilic Starter. Some dairies will actually list which cultures are present in their particular buttermilk.
Yogurt is another Cultured Milk product, although Yogurt is Cultured with Thermophilic bacteria (plural). Almost all Yogurts list which bacteria has been used.
Flora Danica is a Mesophilic Culture that contains Mesophilic bacteria (again plural).
So you would not need to add FD to buttermilk since it is already cultured, meaning it already has bacteria in it. In fact you can, and perhaps already have, used Buttermilk in place of FD.
I think John has a wiki on the Starter Cultures and the Bacteria, on the new site.

You add bacteria to cream to make products like Butter, Cream Cheese, Crème Fraîche, Sour Cream, Mascarpone and so on...
Or you add bacteria to milk in order to make whatever kind cheese it is you are making.

The bacteria can be added via the use of commercially available meso or thermo cultures, or you can use buttermilk for meso and yogurt for thermo.

FarmerJd

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2011, 12:44:44 PM »
Kosher, I think she was asking about culturing "sweet" buttermilk which is the milk left after churning whole fresh milk. In that case, you would need to add the FD or meso or commercial buttermilk. Good summary though.

KosherBaker

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2011, 03:29:43 PM »
Kosher, I think she was asking about culturing "sweet" buttermilk which is the milk left after churning whole fresh milk. In that case, you would need to add the FD or meso or commercial buttermilk. Good summary though.
Ooooooppps. :-[ Now that you mention it, I think you are right. Should have read that more carefully. Thanks JD.

FarmerJd

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2011, 05:41:06 PM »
No problem. It is getting harder to keep up with all the posts. :)

Jessica_H

  • Guest
Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2011, 08:20:39 PM »
Kosher,

That was a great post!

I'm starting to think that sweet cream buttermilk should have another name...

I'm going to try culturing my next batch if cream tonight with the FD. Then I'll save THAT buttermilk and if I understand right I can use that to make more butter and cheese and such.

Thanks all!!

dthelmers

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Re: Help me culture my next batch of butter?
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2011, 12:31:59 AM »
Here's something I find with Flora Danica: the buttermilk tends to be grainy, and the solids separate. I don't try to re-culture the buttermilk past one batch. It seems like one or another of the various cultures grows dominant, and it doesn't seem to keep the same characteristics. It gets quite acidic. It may be my handling.
Dave in CT