Cultured Butter
Cultured butter is European-style butter made from cream that has been fermented with lactic bacteria before churning. It has a tangy, complex flavor and a higher fat content (82%+), making it the choice of serious bakers and cooks.
Cultured butter has a distinctive tangy, nutty complexity from the lactic cultures, with a richer, more buttery flavor than sweet cream butter. The higher fat content (82%+) means less water, producing flakier pastry and richer sauces.\n\nThe flavor is more pronounced and interesting — it tastes like butter with a hint of cheese, which is why it elevates simple dishes like buttered bread.
Available year-round at specialty stores and many supermarkets (Plugrá, Vermont Creamery, Kerrygold cultured). Look for 'cultured' or 'European-style' on the label and 82%+ fat content.\n\nIt is more expensive than standard butter, but worth it for pastry, finishing, and eating on good bread.
Pastry
The higher fat and lower water make flakier, richer pie crusts, croissants, and puff pastry.
Finishing
A knob on a steak, vegetables, or pasta — its complex flavor shines when it is the star.
Bread & Butter
Cultured butter on warm, crusty bread is one of the great simple pleasures — let the flavor speak.
Sauces
Makes beurre blanc and beurre noisette more complex and deeply flavored.
Refrigerate wrapped tightly for up to a few weeks; freeze for up to 6 months. The culturing makes it slightly more stable than sweet cream butter, but it still absorbs odors — keep it sealed.