How to Make Butter and Ghee?

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Join me on a personal journey as I reveal the time-honored secrets behind homemade ghee and butter. Passed down through generations, these recipes hold a special place in my family’s kitchen traditions. I’ll guide you through every step, sharing the tips and techniques I’ve learned.

Growing up in Jordan, there is a particular food or kitchen pantry essential that can’t be replaced anywhere in the world. You must get it directly from Jordan, just like olive oil. The ingredient is Samna Baladi, which translates to pure butter or ghee

This ghee is unique because it is made from sheep, not cows. It is also only made in the springtime when sheep start giving birth to their babies and breastfeeding them. During this time, some of the milk was used to make butter.

Some parts of Jordan still go through the process of making ghee all by hand. For as long as I can remember, my parents would place a yearly order for butter. It was part of the annual budget, alongside olive oil and olives. 

Since the butter was so pure, it came in bright white. This butter was meant to be eaten raw, not cooked, and smelled heavenly. You can eat it with a piece of bread with some sugar or tahini and molasses! I still have the incredible taste in my mouth as I write this, even though I haven’t eaten it for over 30 years. This pure, uncooked white butter is also used to make pure ghee. It gets melted on the stove over low heat and then cooked with some species called Hewaja to give it a golden yellow color. A delightful smell will fill the air when you start cooking with it! 

Sheep Milk vs. Cow Milk:

While cow milk is more widely available and commonly used, sheep milk offers its own set of distinct qualities. Nutritionally, sheep milk is known for its rich composition of fats, proteins, and vitamins. It contains more beneficial fatty acids and protein than cow milk, making it a nutrient-dense choice. Sheep milk’s unique composition lends itself well to making ghee and butter, resulting in a rich and flavorful end product. The creamy texture and sweet taste of sheep milk ghee and butter add a delightful twist to culinary creations. Although sheep milk may be less common, exploring its unique properties is a culinary adventure.

How to Make Butter and Ghee?

Since sheep milk is not readily available in the United States, I used heavy cream and an electric mixer with a whisker attachment. Then, I whisked the cream quickly to separate the fat from the buttermilk, which can be used in recipes that call for buttermilk. You can also drink the buttermilk cold with some added salt!  

To make the ghee or clarified butter with hewaja, I melt the pure unsalted butter on the stove on low heat. This will separate the milk solids from its fat. Ultimately, the milk solids sink to the bottom while the pure fat rises to the top. Some people like to add either a piece of bread or cracked wheat to absorb the milk solid, but I don’t do that. I just let it simmer since it will separate on its own. You will know when it has separated when the top part becomes pure see-through, and the bottom part is cloudy and muddy. At this point, you have pure fat, which is ghee! Pour the ghee into a glass jar or use a ladle to scoop out the fat part and remove the milk solids. 

Notes For Making Ghee

  • Hewaja can be bought from any Middle Eastern shop. If you don’t have hewaja, make the ghee without any flavoring. Mix your spice with turmeric, curry, rosemary, and garlic. Some people also make ghee that is flavored with chocolate; go figure. Not me? 
  • The standing mixer fits one-half gallon of heavy. It will spell over and make a mess! Each 64 oz of heavy cream will give you 28 oz of butter. Cream, so don’t try to add more. 
  • Ghee can be kept in a glass jar at room temperature but will be preserved longer in the fridge.
  • You could keep the whole butter in a glass jar or ceramic platter. But I like to separate them into 4 oz logs wrapped in wax paper. I keep the logs in the fridge until I need them.
How to Make How to Make Butter and Ghee?

Preparation

1.
Add cold heavy cream in a standing mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk on high speed for approximately 10 minutes. The cream will transform into whipped cream and start separating into fat and water.
Mark as complete
2.
Once the separation begins, reduce the speed to medium to avoid splattering. You can cover the mixer with a kitchen towel for extra protection.
Mark as complete
3.
Remove the whisk and transfer the butter from the attachment to a bowl. Some butter may remain stuck.
Mark as complete
4.
Store the buttermilk in a glass jar in the refrigerator for later use.
.
Mark as complete
5.
Pat dry the butter with a paper towel. If desired, add salt to make salted butter by sprinkling it over the butter and mixing it in. Roll it into a log, wrap it in wax paper, and keep it in the refrigerator.
Mark as complete
6.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot for flavored clarified butter (samna ballad). If using, add hewaja spices and whisk them into the butter.
Mark as complete
7.
If making multiple batches, combine the melted butter in the pot and heat it at a low temperature. Add 1 tablespoon of hewja and whisk it into the butter. Simmer for 45 minutes until the top part turns clear. Pure fat will separate on top, while butter fat will settle at the bottom.
Mark as complete
8.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Use a ladle to transfer the ghee into a glass jar. Once at room temperature, seal the jar. Ghee can be stored in the pantry or the refrigerator for an extended shelf life.
Mark as complete

Ingredients:

1X 2X 3X
Adjust Servings
1 1/2 gallon of cold heavy cream
Salt optional

Preparation

1
Add cold heavy cream in a standing mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk on high speed for approximately 10 minutes. The cream will transform into whipped cream and start separating into fat and water.
2
Once the separation begins, reduce the speed to medium to avoid splattering. You can cover the mixer with a kitchen towel for extra protection.
3
Remove the whisk and transfer the butter from the attachment to a bowl. Some butter may remain stuck.
4
Store the buttermilk in a glass jar in the refrigerator for later use. .
5
Pat dry the butter with a paper towel. If desired, add salt to make salted butter by sprinkling it over the butter and mixing it in. Roll it into a log, wrap it in wax paper, and keep it in the refrigerator.
6
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot for flavored clarified butter (samna ballad). If using, add hewaja spices and whisk them into the butter.
7
If making multiple batches, combine the melted butter in the pot and heat it at a low temperature. Add 1 tablespoon of hewja and whisk it into the butter. Simmer for 45 minutes until the top part turns clear. Pure fat will separate on top, while butter fat will settle at the bottom.
8
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Use a ladle to transfer the ghee into a glass jar. Once at room temperature, seal the jar. Ghee can be stored in the pantry or the refrigerator for an extended shelf life.

Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
See our full nutrition disclosure here.

rana

By Rana

Thanks for visiting my Mediterranean food blog and welcome to my virtual kitchen! Here, you’ll find mouth-watering, wholesome, and nutritious Mediterranean recipes that will change the way you view cooking.

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