Baking with Butter

We all should know by now that there is no real substitute for using butter in your baking recipes.  It adds flavor and texture which are very important elements to any baked good.  With all of the butters on the market now, you may wonder is one better than another?  How do European butters compare to American-style?

Here are some things you should know about using butter for your baked goods that I gathered from the joyofbaking.com and the foodservicewarehouse.com.

The difference between European and American-style butter is the butterfat content.  American-style has 80% butterfat, while European is around 83%.  This slight increase gives the butter a creamier, richer taste.

Butter is made by churning whole cream until the fats separate from the liquid.  This liquid is called “buttermilk.”

The color of butter is determined by what the cow eats.  The shade of natural butter varies from a creamy-white to a golden yellow.  Sometimes a coloring agent is added to butter giving it a deeper yellow color.

Butter comes in two forms, salted and unsalted.  Salted butter has a shelf life of around 5 months, and unsalted butter has only 3 months.  This is because the salt in butter acts as a preservative.  When using salted butter in place of unsalted in your recipe, omit any extra salt that is called for in the recipe.

Always check your butter for an expiration date before using.  Store it tightly wrapped in the coldest part of your refrigerator.   Butter can be frozen for up to 6 months, but this will affect the texture and add more moisture to your recipe.

The temperature of butter for baking should be between 65-70 degrees F.  This will allow for the maximum amount of air to be beaten in your batter for the leavening to do its job properly.  Butter should be used at room temperature for all of your recipes except when making pie crusts.  Cold butter is not absorbed as much by the flour, so you get a nice flaky crust.

And finally, my advice is to always remember to bake with the freshest and best quality ingredients each and every time to achieve consistent results.