Butter unsalted

Traditionally, butter was made by allowing cream to separate from the milk by standing the milk in shallow pans. The cream is then churned to produce a water in oil emulsion. Typically butter contains 15% of water. Butter is normally made either sweet cream or lactic, also known as cultured, and with or without added salt. Lactic butter is made by adding a culture, usually a mixture of Streptococcus cremoris, S. diacetylactis and Betacoccus cremoris. The culture produces lactic acid as well as various flavouring compounds, e.g. diacetyl, which is commonly present at around 3 ppm. As well as any flavour effect the lactic acid inhibits any undesirable microbiological activity in the aqueous phase of the butter. Sweet cream butter has no such culture added but 1.5 to 3% of salt is normally added. This inhibits microbiological problems by reducing the water activity of the aqueous phase. It is perfectly possible to make salted lactic butter or unsalted sweet cream butter if required. In the UK most butter is sweet cream while in continental Europe most butter is lactic. 

To prepare it, small nuggets of unsalted butter are melted slowly in a deep saucepan. The water in the butter evaporates, causing the milk solids to sink to the bottom of the pan, and a foam rises to the surface and is skimmed off. The clear, yellow melted butter is then poured off to leave the milk solids at the bottom of the saucepan, to be discarded. 

Acidity. The development of a fishy flavor in butter is well known. Cream acidities ranging from 0.20 to 0.30% appear to represent those levels at which flavor development is marginal (Parks 1974). Although the development of fishy flavors in unsalted butters is rarely encountered, it is not restricted to those products containing salt. Pont et al. (1960) induced the development of a fishy flavor in commercial butter-fat by the addition of nordihydroguaiaretic acid and citric or lactic acid. In addition, Tarassuk et al. (1959) reported the development of fishy flavors in washed cream adjusted to pH 4.6. 

FOR THE SHINY MOCHA GLAZE 1—ounce bags semisweet organic chocolate chips 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) organic unsalted butter, softened, cut into pieces... 

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper Vs teaspoon cayenne pepper 3/4 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) organic unsalted butter, softened... 

---