Ingredient: Butter


» Jump to recipes using Butter as an ingredient

imageWe are always excited to see more Amish Roll Butter in the share box!  You may be wondering what makes Amish Roll Butter different from the butter in a grocery store?My obvious answer is taste, one taste of this butter and you will never go back, trust me.  My second answer involves the process of making the butter.  Amish Roll Butter is rolled and packaged by hand.  Rolling the butter is what lets the fat spread out and keep its flavor.  Grocery store butter is formed into sticks using machines so the butter fat is squeezed and not aloud to naturally spread out.  The butter is put into tubes for molding and shaping and this alters the natural flavors of the butter.  So, once the Amish roll butter is churned (they do this part with a machine), it is not put through equipment. Instead, the butter is hand rolled and packaged so the fat stays put and the flavor is amazing.

Here are some tricks to keep it safe and sound until you are ready for use.  

If you love the spreadability of this creamy butter, but can’t wait for it to come to temp, then a butter bell/crock is for you!  We first learned about this lovely little invention from fellow Springdellian Marian Harwood.  (Thanks, Marian!)  When used properly, it will keep butter safely at room temperature for up to 30 days!

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Simply smush the butter into the “bell” part of the butter bell. (You need to start with slightly softened butter for this step.)
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Add just enough water to seal the bell (an inch is plenty for this bell).
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Invert your butter “bell” into the crock
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and….
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…there you have it- delicious and spreadable butter at a moment’s notice!

If you live in a warm house, we suggest keeping your crock in a cooler area.  If the butter gets too warm, it may melt and drop out of the bell and into the water.  Start with just a smidge of butter, (whatever you might use in a sitting or two) and see what amount is going to work best for you, your butter storage area, and the capacity of your inverted crock. We can’t guarantee that you’ll not begin devouring more butter with one of these around, in fact, we can pretty much guarantee the opposite.  

If you’d like to extend your butter for even longer than the date on the package, then freezing it is a great option.  

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Start with the entire roll of butter, which is 2 pounds, the equivalent of 2 boxes of market butter. Cut it in half.
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From there, cut it into fourths.
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Then cut the fourths in half to make eight discs.
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Each disk will be roughly the equivalent of one stick of butter.
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Separate each disc with a small square of parchment paper.
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Stack the discs into a large freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Be sure to fold and save your butter wrapper. Store the wrapper in the fridge until ready for use in greasing a baking pan or cookie sheet.

Check out our recipe for Herb Butter, it’s a wonderful way to preserve herbs for winter use!

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Recipes Using Butter

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Browned Butter and Sage

This is a lovely way to enjoy your butternut squash over the winter. The rich marriage of squash with that herb-infused brown butter makes for a hearty and flavorful meatless stuffed shell. The bacony-crisp of the sage leaves are reminiscent of makes for a perfect garnish, while the amount of cheese involved is entirely flexible (I’ve used nutritional yeast in place of the Parmesan in a pinch.) Roasting the squash before mashing really brings out the sweet and nutty flavor of the squash, a step not to be skipped for full-effect, though you can roast your squash up to 3 days ahead of time as needed.


Butternut Squash Risotto

Submitted by fellow Springdellian Kathleen Spaeth, this scrumptious dish can work as a side or a main, depending on how you want to dress it up. Be sure to read through and prep your ingredients before beginning, as it’s one that needs a bit of well-spent attention during the cooking process. Enjoy!


Farmer Jamie’s Baked Cucumbers in Basil Cream

This is Farmer Jamie’s suggestion, from Farmer John’s cookbook. It’s a tasty departure from the cool cucumber, as this one spends time in the oven. Delicious when the basil and cukes are both popping in the fields.