Homemade Butter - Ag In The Classroom printable pdf download

Homemade Butter

Background information

Butter is made from cream, a component of milk. Cream is lighter than the

rest of the milk and floats to the top, where it can be skimmed off and

packaged separately. One pound of butter can be made from the cream

found in ten quarts of milk. The more butterfat milk contains the more butter

it will make. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle produces milk with the highest

percentage of butterfat. The Holstein breed gives the greatest quantity of

milk, but with the lowest percentage of butterfat.

What is happening during the butter making process?

To make butter from the cream, the cream is

agitated (stirred up) so that the fat particles get shaken out of position and clump together with other

fat particles. The clumping first allows tiny air bubbles to be trapped in the cream, forming a light and

airy product you might have had, called whipped cream. But if the agitation is continued, the fat

particles start to clump so much that the air can no longer be held by the cream, and butter forms. As

you can probably see now, butter is basically the milk's fat. By time the butter forms from the cream,

the fat particles have clearly separated from the liquid in the cream. This liquid can be removed and

made into buttermilk.

(Science Buddies Staff. (2013, November 16). Shaking for Butter. Retrieved October

17, 2014 from

)

Materials Needed



Jar (pint-sized)

**Note** for individual butter making, consider using 2 ounce plastic cups with lids.



Heavy whipping cream, preferably at room temperature



Crackers

Procedure

1. Fill container 2/3 full with heavy whipping cream. Firmly secure the lid.

2. Share the container briskly for 5-10 minutes (the more cream in the container, the longer it will

take). Continue shaking until the butter is a solid lump in the jar. Once the butter has formed,

open the jar and pour off the buttermilk. See the attached “What’s Happening” worksheet to

engage students in making observations during the butter making process.

3. To make salted butter, add salt just before the butter is formed.

4. Spread butter on crackers and enjoy!

Extension Activities



Try salting before shaking



Experiment by having students record the temperature of cream when beginning, length of

time and number of shakes it takes for butter to form.



Instead of using heavy whipping cream, try using light cream, whole mile and 2% milk.

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Homemade Butter - Ag In The Classroom

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