- BITE ME INDUSTRIES

Brown butter transforms ordinary butter into liquid gold. As it gently toasts, the milk solids turn nutty, caramelized, and deeply aromatic, adding rich complexity to cookies, cakes, pasta, vegetables, and more. Once you learn this simple technique, you’ll find endless ways to use it.

Course Baking Ingredient, Condiment, Sauces

Cuisine American, French

Keyword HOW TO BROWN BUTTER, HOW TO MAKE BROWNED BUTTER

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 8

Total Time 10

Servings tablespoons

Calories 125kcal

Ingredients

10 tablespoons butter (142 g)

Instructions

MELT THE BUTTER: Place the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. The butter will melt, begin to bubble, and release its water content. Do not walk away at this stage.
10 tablespoons butter
WATCH THE BILLOW STAGE: As the water cooks off, the butter will pop and sizzle loudly. When the noise quiets, the butter will foam and rise in a tall, fine, airy billow. This signals that the milk solids are beginning to toast.
LOOK FOR THE COLOR CHANGE: Stir gently as the foam turns from pale to golden. Once small brown flecks form beneath the foam and the butter turns deep golden amber with a nutty aroma, remove from the heat immediately.
STOP THE COOKING: Pour into a heat safe bowl, scraping in all the browned bits. This stops the cooking process.
COOL IF NEEDED: If your recipe requires cooled brown butter, stir over an ice bath until thickened but still pourable.

Notes

Bite Me Make Ahead Tip:

Pour the warm brown butter into silicone molds that hold 113 grams each. Freeze until solid, remove from the molds, wrap individually, and return to the freezer. Now you have perfectly portioned brown butter ready whenever you need it.

In Depth Step by Step Details (The Why's):

Once you master this technique, you will begin reaching for it instinctively.

Butter Volume: If you need a specific amount of brown butter for a recipe, measure the amount called for and begin with 20 percent more butter to account for natural moisture loss during browning. For example, if a recipe calls for ½ cup (113 g) of brown butter, start with 10 tablespoons (142 g) of butter. If a recipe calls for 1 cup (227 g) of brown butter, begin with 272 g of butter. Apply this same 20 percent increase to any quantity. This is the scalable technique.
Choose Your Pot: Use a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stainless steel or light colored ceramic allows you to clearly see the butter change color, which helps prevent burning.
Melt the Butter: Add the butter to the pot and set it over medium heat. The butter will melt, begin to bubble, and release its water content. Do not walk away at this stage. Salted or unsalted both work here. Unsalted offers more control over seasoning, but if salted is what you have on hand, simply reduce the added salt in your recipe slightly.
Watch for the Billow Stage: As the water cooks off, the butter will pop and sizzle quite loudly. When the noise begins to quiet, the butter will foam and rise in a tall, fine-bubbled, airy billow. This signals that the milk solids are beginning to toast.
Look for Color Change: Stir gently as the foam shifts from pale to golden. Once you see small brown flecks forming beneath the foam and the butter turns a deep golden amber with a nutty aroma, remove the pot from the heat immediately.
Stop the Cooking: Continue stirring to reveal the toasted milk solids. Pour the butter into a heat safe bowl, scraping in all the browned bits from the bottom. This stops the cooking process.
Optional Quick Cool: If your recipe calls for cooled brown butter, you may place the bowl over an ice bath and stir until thickened but still pourable, then transfer to a container or use as needed. I like this for spreadability on toast, and to suspend the nutty bits throughout the butter evenly.

Nutrition