In the U.S., salted and unsalted butter hovers around 80 percent butterfat and the rest is water.
European butter ranges between 83 percent and 86 percent butterfat.
“Salted butter is made from cream and water with salt being the preservative,” said Annie Calder of Calder Dairy in Lincoln Park and Carleton, Mich. “European butter is also often cultured.”
At Calder Dairy, the butter has 80 percent butterfat.
While a 3 percent difference may not seem like much, it’s noticeable when you are using the European-style butter to spread on a baguette or toast. But bakers will notice that it lends to the tenderness and flakiness of many baked goods. Cultured European-style butter, because it has less water, stays solid longer and is more pliable. It’s the cultures that many sources say contribute to the tangy and almost nutty nuances of European-style butter.
And because it has more fat, it melts a bit more slowly than its regular counterparts.
Land O’Lakes is out with a version of European-style butter which lists 82 percent butterfat on the package. Kerrygold Irish butter and Plugra (which is made in the U.S.) are other common brands you will see at most grocery stores. These are not cultured butters. Don’t expect the butterfat content to be listed on all packaging.
I like the creaminess of European butter. It’s purely a matter of taste and cost if you want to use it in baked goods. European butters are more expensive than regular butter. The new Land O’Lakes butter I bought was $4.19 for 8 ounces or a half pound. Most regular butter is about that price for a full pound. So it’s a splurge. Most baking sources say European-style butter is good when you want to create baked goods with flaky layers (think puff pastry, croissants). A real treat is to serve the European-style butter sprinkled with a few granules of sea salt, pink salt or any coarse-grind salt.
You will also find the color of European-style butter a tad more on the yellow side. The color has no impact on the end results. Most brands of European butter are sold in salted and unsalted varieties. Pastry chefs, expert bakers and chefs mainly use unsalted butters because the salt in salted butter can vary. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt in the recipes and is more accurate.
Gooey Butter Shortbread Bars
Makes: 24 bars
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup European-style butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Topping:
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. European-style butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil lightly with no-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine all crust ingredients in bowl; beat at medium speed just until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.
Combine corn syrup, water and vanilla in bowl; mix well. Set aside.
Place 6 tablespoons butter, sugar and salt into another bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add egg; beat until well mixed. Add half of flour alternately with corn syrup mixture, beating well after each addition. Spread topping evenly over shortbread crust. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
Remove from pan; sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Adapted from landolakes.com and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Nutrition information not available.
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