Brown butter is a magical ingredient that can turn ordinary baked goods into irresistible treats. Its complex flavor of toasted nuts and caramel is imparted solely by cooking the butter. Although the science behind it might sound complicated, the process itself is really simple! With just a little knowledge, you can make it right every time. Let me teach you.
The science behind browning butter
Browning butter is a classic French technique originally called buerre noisette (literal meaning – hazelnut butter) because of its nutty flavor. But actually, there are no hazelnuts involved, only the magic of chemistry.
Fresh butter is a water-in-fat emulsion containing milk solids, composed of proteins and lactose (milk sugar). The process of browning is simply heating the butter to a certain level, which breaks the emulsion, cooks out the water, and toasts the milk solids. Let’s look into this process in more detail.
1. Melting butter: the emulsion breaks down
As the butter melts, the heat separates the emulsion into three components: pure butterfat, water, and milk solids. Milk proteins denature and clump in the heat, appearing on the surface as white foam held there by water vapor.
2. Boiling: water evaporates
When the butter temperature reaches the boiling point of water, vigorous bubbling begins. This mixes everything up and disperses the milk solids in the churning liquid butterfat. At this point, bubbling butter looks like a nearly clear liquid.
3. Browning: Maillard reaction occurs
When most of the water evaporates, the bubbling subsides. The vapor that held milk solids on the surface is gone, so they, being denser than the butterfat, sink to the bottom of the pan. Since the temperature of the liquid fat is way above 100°C, the Maillard reaction between the amino acids of milk proteins and lactose begins. It’s the same reaction responsible for the browning and flavor development in many other foods, such as seared steaks, toasted bread, or roasted coffee. This reaction produces hundreds of new compounds that give the butter its brown color and the signature toasted flavor.
You don’t need any fancy tools to distinguish which phase is happening or when to stop cooking; visual cues are enough. I’ve described them in detail in the recipe below.
Should you strain brown butter?
The short answer – you can, but you shouldn’t. Brown butter is full of small golden bits – the milk solids that have been toasted and undergone the Maillard reaction. These solids are the main source of brown butter’s deep flavor. Aromatic compounds are easily absorbed by the butterfat, so even if you strain out the milk solids, some of the caramel flavor will remain in the butter. But if you leave them in, they will guarantee the maximum amount of flavor, as the solids themselves are highly concentrated flavor bombs. The biggest advantage of straining is that you’re left with pure butterfat, which has a much longer shelf life. However, the characteristic brown butter flavor degrades over time, so it’s not worth keeping for very long. Therefore, my recommendation is to leave those toasted brown bits where they belong – inside the brown butter.
Brown vs. black (or burnt) butter
If you accidentally take it too far and see the milk solids turn black, you’ve burned your butter. But don’t throw it away, you can still use it! Black or burned butter has a bitter, smoky flavor and is sometimes used in savory sauces, so feel free to experiment with it. You can also strain the burned milk solids to remove most of the bitterness, leaving clarified butter that can still be used in baking recipes or cooking.
Properly browned butter
Burnt butter
Which types of butter can be browned?
The only requirement for making brown butter is using real dairy butter. If you choose butter that’s lower in fat, such as 80%, it will take longer to brown because more water must evaporate. However, the necessary reaction will still occur. Even lactose-free butter can be browned because it still contains sugars (glucose and galactose) that participate in the Maillard reaction.
How to use brown butter?
You can replace regular butter with brown butter in almost any recipe, whether it needs to be melted or softened. If you want to cream brown butter with sugar, wait until it solidifies or bring refrigerated brown butter back to room temperature. However, if the dessert has a strong and complex flavor on its own, the brown butter may be overpowered, so it may not be worth using.
Brown Butter (Buerre Noisette)
- Draugiška pradedantiesiems
Brown butter tastes like toasted nuts and caramel. It’s a magical ingredient that can turn ordinary baked goods into irresistible treats.
Ruošimo laikas: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Visas laikas: 15 min
Ingredientai
- 200 g unsalted butter (I use 82%)
Išeiga: ~170 g / 5,9 oz brown butter (exact yield will depend on the water content of the butter you use)
Gaminimo eiga
1.
Use a light-colored saucepan so that you can clearly see the color change. Also, have an empty, heatproof bowl ready nearby.
2.
Cut the butter into cubes and transfer them to a saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring frequently to ensure it heats evenly.
3.
Once the butter has melted completely, continue heating and stirring. The milk solids will separate from the butterfat and form a white foam on top.
4.
When the butter starts bubbling, the foam will disperse into churning liquid fat, and you will have almost clear butter bubbling and making cracking sounds. That’s water evaporating. Keep stirring.
5.
When the cracking sound begins to fade, the bubbles decrease in size and form a foam on top, the butter is almost ready. It will smell like toasted nuts and caramel. Continue to stir vigorously until the color of the milk solids under the foam changes from yellow to golden brown.
6.
Immediately pour the brown butter into a cool bowl to prevent further temperature increase and avoid burning. Scrape all the brown bits out. The foam will dissipate pretty quickly after removing butter from the heat.
7.
If your recipe calls for brown butter in a liquid form, it’s ready to use once it has cooled to 40-50°C / 104-122°F (warm, but not hot). If you need soft butter for creaming with sugar, let it sit a little longer until it solidifies.
Dar keli patarimai, kad tikrai pavyktų
- Don’t turn the heat up too high, or the butter will start to burn quickly. Heat it slowly and evenly over medium heat.
- Stirring the butter throughout the process ensures even heating. This becomes especially important once the boiling starts and the milk solids settle because they tend to stick to the bottom of the saucepan and burn.
- The exact time it takes to brown butter depends on how much butter you’re cooking, the type of butter you’re using (e.g., 80% or 84% fat content), the size of your saucepan, and the type of stove you have. Trust visual cues more than a timer.
- Butter reaches at least 140°C / 284°F while browning, so be careful not to burn yourself and don’t pour it straight from the saucepan into a cake batter.
- If you accidentally burn the butter and the milk solids turn black, strain them out to remove the bitterness. The remaining butter can still be used for baking, but without the milk solids, the flavor will be less intense.
- I use 82% butter, and the weight reduction after browning is usually about 15% (that’s how much water evaporates). Depending on the fat and water content of the butter you use, you might end up with slightly more or less brown butter.
- If you plan to store the brown butter for later use, wait until it begins to solidify. Then, mix it thoroughly to distribute the toasted milk solids evenly throughout the butter. This ensures an even flavor distribution.
Laikymo nurodymai
You can brown the butter in advance, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Although it will still be edible for up to 1 month, the flavor is strongest when it’s fresh. Melt the butter or bring it to room temperature before using.
You can also freeze brown butter. It will maintain its complex flavor for up to 3 months in an airtight container in the freezer.
