Butter is a key ingredient in many baked goods, adding richness, flavour, and texture to everything from cookies and cakes to pie crusts and breads. But baking with butter can be a bit tricky, as it can melt too quickly, or not incorporate properly if not at the right temperature.
Discover our latest podcast
Bon Appetite reported on how to ensure that your butter is melted just right, as per their expert Shilpa Uskokovic. As per the food editor, soft or room-temperature butter is a key ingredient for successful baking.
Room-temperature for butter is around 68°–72°F (20°C-22°C). A good way to test it is, if you press the butter, it should leave an indent of your finger.
Here are the methods she suggests bakers can use to get the butter melted just right:
Read more:
⋙ People shocked to learn they have been spreading butter wrong their whole life
⋙ Ghee: This is what you should replace butter with
Cut the butter into small chunks
Take your block of butter and cut them up into small cubes, and then set them out. Depending on the temperature in the room, this should get the job done in in little as 15 minutes.
Pound the butter until it's soft
To get your butter to soften easily, you can also use a rolling pin or similar heavy object to pound it. You can leave the butter in its wrapper, or even sandwich it between sheets of parchment paper, and then all you need to do it pound away until the butter is flattened and soft.
Read more: We all make this one, unhealthy mistake when using butter
Use a microwave
If you are in a hurry, you can use the microwave, but most baking experts advise people against using it, because you can easily end up with a puddle of melted butter.
But when in a pinch, pop your butter in a microwave, and use the ‘melt butter’ settings if it has any. In case it doesn’t, ensure that the microwave is on low settings, and leave in the butter in for short bursts of 20-30 seconds, just enough to soften it.
Sources used:
Bon Appetite: ‘How to Soften Butter—Quickly—According to a Pro Baker’
