Butterfat % in home churned butter?

Hello, food science types!

I'm curious about how much butter (vs. retained water) tends to be in butter that is churned at home. Assuming I'm using a KitchenAid stand mixer to agitate, and then squeezing for 5 minutes afterward to remove water (not sure what pressure or anything), is there a way to estimate what the butter fat is?

Trying to figure out if my croissants will benefit from this over purchasing 84% butterfat butter from el grocery store.

Thanks :)

Michelle
  • Posted by: Michelle
  • September 29, 2017
  • 12066 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

Nancy
Nancy September 30, 2017
Most butter is about 82% butterfat, so I'm guessing the homemade would be in that range.
Probably not worth buying the 84% from the store.
The greatest differences in butter flavor come from the milk (and where the cows grazed)...and whether salted or not.
If you have a chance to buy some unusual organic or local butter, that might be worth it for putting ON the croissants or other baked goods.
 
Michelle
Michelle September 30, 2017
Hi Nancy,

Thanks for your reply! The difference that butter makes to laminated dough is related specifically to its ability to rise, no flavour. Although butterfat is typically 82% in Europe, in the US most butter is actually 80% (US dictated minimum).

I live in Canada, where a breadth of butterfat options are available, but butters with butterfat ratios above 80 tend to be quite pricey. So I'm wondering what the butterfat percentage is for homemade butter.

Thanks!

Cheers,
m
 
Nancy
Nancy October 1, 2017
Found 3 estimates of fat content for homemade butter in Canada, ranging from 80 to 81%. You could increase this by making the butter, letting it rest, then squeezing out water.
Also saw that the 84% can be 8x regular in price. Eye-wateringly high!.
 
Alex
Alex March 5, 2023
Hello, it’s been quite few years, so have you found a way? Bc I’m a baker here in north of America close to Canada. And I’m planning to get my own jersey cows to produce my own cream and butter, because it’s hard for me to go to local creamery that’s just 5 hours away from me (one way!) and closest Aldi with good Irish butter is 2 hours away. So far I use what I can find,
But!!! I’m hoping by this fall I will get chance to milk my own cows and churn my own butter for croissants. So have you found so far any method to count the fat percentage in home made butter? And how do I make the butter as “dry” as possible, meaning it’s as flexible as can get with out any water/milk left in butter?
Thanks!!!
 
Shauna
Shauna February 18, 2024
Hi I was just asking this question. Vermont Creamery is the only American butter that offers more than 80% fat in the butter. They do this during the churning they are able to hold on to 86% fat which is the European level in butter and they also churn the butter in a manner which allows them to let more water go but keep more fat. I use Vermont Creamery butter all the time when I make puff pastry or any pastry it does make a difference.
Hope this helps
 
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