Cookbook:Victorian Butter

Victorian Butter
Category	Dairy recipes
Difficulty

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The following is a recipe for butter, as prepared during the Victorian era.

Ingredients

• Fresh cow's milk
• Salt (optional)
• Herbs (e.g. thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc; optional)

Equipment

• Wooden butter churn
• Wooden butter paddles
• Wooden spoons
• Cheesecloth or strainer
• Clean towel or cloth

Procedure

1. After washing one's hands and fingernails, scald all utensils that are to be used in making butter, including the wooden churn. Wooden pats and spoons should be left in bowl of scalding hot water and covered over with a clean cloth.
2. Let the fresh milk settle in pans overnight to allow the cream to rise to the top.
3. Scrape the cream from the milk, and pour it into the churn. It's preferable to pour the cream at a height so that the cream aerates, allowing it to churn quicker.
4. Begin the churning process: if a Victorian barrel butter churn is used, rotate the handle continuously, which propels the paddles; if a plunge churn is used, continuously move up-and-down the dasher-staff. It is important to maintain a measured and steady pace. The cream soon turns into whipped cream (the first stage).
5. After continued churning for 30–35 minutes more, the whipped cream begins to turn, becoming thicker and harder to churn, and slightly powdery so that it starts to separate. This is the second stage. The turned butter at this stage is quite pungent to smell.
6. With continued churning, one reaches the third stage, when buttermilk and butter begin to separate. This can be recognized by the distinct sound that the churning action makes, besides being harder to churn.
7. Drain the buttermilk into a separate pail by using a meshed cloth or strainer.
8. Remove the paddle from the churn, and scoop out all of the butter.
9. Wrap up butter in a clean cloth, tie it and squeeze out all excess liquid.
10. Open the wrapping, wash the butter in spring water, and allow it to drain. Washing in spring water prevents butter from becoming rancid.
11. Let the butter sit for at least 1 hour, allowing all water to drain off.
12. Divide the butter into smaller portions. Begin to pat it with butter paddles to get rid of any excess liquid.
13. Use the butter paddles to sparingly work salt and any herbs into the butter.

Notes, tips, and variations

• If fresh milk is unavailable, you can use heavy cream purchased from the store and bypass the cream separation step.