But not all butter is created equal. we catch up with the man who knows best, cultured butter artisan pepe saya butter, to hear about fermenting, churning and slathering.

How is Cultured Butter Made?

Pepe: We make our cultured butter by fermenting cream with a lactic culture and ageing that cream (creme fraiche) for up to five weeks, until the cream really sours. that cream is then churned, all the sour buttermilk is washed off, the butter is kneaded and salted.

What Benefit Does Cultured Butter Have for Bakers and Pastry Chefs?

Pepe: The whole process is to taint the fat in the cream with flavour prior to churning (to extract the butter from the cream). this helps bakers because it has a higher fat content at 83.5-83.8 per cent. this adds flavour to the end product.

Why is Austr Alian Butter So Yellowcompared to Butter from Europe?

Pepe: Our butter is yellow because of the beta carotene in the grass. unlike European cows, Australian cows graze on beautiful green grass. the colour does change from season to season depending on what the cows eat. My favourite time to eat the butter is spring because the new shoots of grass give a different taste and colour.

How Do You Set Yourself Apart from Other Butter Producers?

Pepe: One of the things that is quite unique about Pepe Saya cultured butter is it is unhomogenised, which means the water and fat have not been emulsified together. So when you cut open a supermarket butter or imported butter it will be silky smooth, with no variables and no texture. the Pepe Saya butter, however, is hand pressed and has water activity. it’s also handmade.

How Important is Good Quality Milk to Your End Product?

Pepe: The quality of the milk is everything. ninety-nine per cent of our imports are cream. We source cream as far as Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia and as close as Picton, new South Wales, with people that do not over-process the milk. Supermarket cream is almost impossible to work with. Salt is also important. We use salt from olsson’s and Murray river Pink Salt, both of which are Australian.

Tell Us About the Truffle Butter. What’s the Flavour Profile?

Pepe: Four years ago I started a conversation with Australia’s truffle expert, Duncan Garvey, who wanted to put fresh perigord truffles into Pepe Saya butter. if you fast forward to today we have been successful at sparking interest for people to try truffle for the first time. the great thing is truffles are only available from June to August, but butter seems to be the perfect vehicle to preserve them.