A favored activity of schoolchildren in Wisconsin (the Dairy State) is to pass a jar of cream around in a circle from child to child, shaking it as much as possible along the way, in order to eventually make sweet cream butter
Local Danzeisen Dairy (danzeisendairy.com) is carrying on that tradition in Arizona, albeit in a much easier fashion utilizing a modern stand mixer. Due to the old-time homogenization methods used at the 1-year-old family dairy, Danzeisen cream can easily be processed into butter using these basic steps:
• Pour cream into the mixer bowl.
• Mix on high until you have whipped cream, and then keep going until the butter separates from the liquid buttermilk.
• Strain it, keeping the liquid buttermilk for another project such as baking.
• Add in flavoring or salt (with mixer on low) if desired.
• Remove butter solids and press them together (can be formed/rolled into a log using waxed paper or placed into a decorative butter mold).
Photos courtesy of Danzeisen
If you buy your cream directly from the Danzeisen dairy (or pick up one of their promotional bottles at local grocers), you’ll find little packets of butter flavoring attached. There are two options: a sweet cinnamon/brown sugar butter flavoring that demands to be slathered on pancakes, and a robust garlic and rosemary butter flavoring that’s crying out for mashed potatoes and a sizzling steak.
