Making Butter and Baking Oatmeal Bread

Add 4 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt to a mixing bowl and whip.

The basic butter-making process involves taking whipped cream past the breaking point until it separates into butter and buttermilk. All this involves is a lot of whipping with a stand mixer. ( I first tried the blender - it works much better in the mixer. ) keep mixing the whipping cream on medium speed until the it reaches the soft peak stage, then firm peaks, and finally it will began to clump.

Keep on mixing and then suddenly the clump will release its buttermilk. The buttermilk will be in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Strain the buttermilk into a measuring cup for later use. What is left is a pale yellow clump- BUTTER.

We are going to use our Homemade butter mixed with herbs on homemade oatmeal bread.

This was a fun experiment for the boys.


Oatmeal Bread
This recipe comes from an old cookbook

2 pkgs active dry yeast
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup shortening
1 Tablespoon salt
5 1/2 to 6 cups sifted enriched flour
2 beaten eggs

Soften yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups boiling water, oatmeal, molasses, shortening, and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast mixture and Stir in about 2 cups flour, and eggs, beat well. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. ( Dough will be a little sticky). Grease top, cover tightly and place in a draft free place for 1 to 2 hours. Turn out on a well floured surface and shape into 2 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and let rise, covered in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours. Bake in moderate oven ( 375 degrees ) for 40 to 50 minutes.