Okay so I feel like a bit of a cheat posting this but a lot of people have asked me about it so here it is. The thought of making your own butter may instantly cause confusion and images of manic activity and sweaty exertion but believe me when I say- it really is UNBELIEVABLY easy! Well…I say “easy“…that’s if you’re in possession of a stand mixer such as KitchenAid or KMix. If not? then que the manic activity and sweaty exertion.

Getting back on track, once you’ve had a go at this there’s no looking back. A word to the wise though – I have yet to use this recipe in baking (mental note for some #KitchenExperiments) so I can’t vouch for how stable it is bake-wise. I’ll put it on my “To Do/ To Bake” list and let you know the outcome.

Ingredients (to make /3 cups (150g) of butter)

• 300ml heavy cream
• Salt to taste
• Herbs (optional)

Yes that’s it- told you it was easy!

• Fill a large bowl with ice-cold water and set aside for later.
• Pour the cream into the bowl of your stand mixer. MAKE SURE TO FIT YOUR MIXER’S SPLASH GUARD!

• With the whisk attachment, whisk on a medium speed until the cream, starts to thicken (as if you were whipping cream as normal).

• Increase the speed to high and continue whipping. You will see the cream start to whip, then curdle. Keep whisking! You want to “push” the cream through this stage.  You may need to stop and scape down the sides.

• Continue to whisk and you’ll see the cream start to separate (and liquid start to splash!). The liquid is buttermilk and the solids, that should be starting to catch and gather in the whisk, are the butter solids. Carry on whisky for a few more minutes during which the buttermilk and solids will further separate. You should now have what resembles pale butter in your whisk bulb.

• Remove the whisk and gather the solids together in your hands and squeeze out any excess buttermilk. Immerse the butter in the water filled bowl- this washes it clean of any remaining buttermilk.

• Remove from the water, shake of any water and place on a clean surface. This is where you can add your flavourings. I normally just add some salt to taste, but you can also add herbs to make herb butter. Pat and fold the butter so that the flavourings are evenly distributed throughout. (You can get some butter paddles online which make this job a lot easier. They’re inexpensive and also look make an attractive kitchen decoration).
• Wrap the finished and shaped butter in baking parchment to complete. I’ve kept mine at room temperature under a butter dish for up to 3 days and it’s still tasted great. You can also store in the fridge but it’ll need to be removed to allow to soften before use.

Homemade buttermilk scones with Peach & Tonka bean jam and homemade butter