Lactic Butter

One of two basic and most traditional types of butter available, the other being Sweet Cream Butter. The most common of all types of butter is the Sweet Cream Butter made from pasteurized cream that is aged for a half day, churned, packaged, and sold in all food stores as a salted or unsalted butter. Lactic Butter, which is also processed into salted or unsalted butter, is most common in European countries where the richer flavor provided by this type of butter is preferred. Produced from cream that is pasteurized, cooled, and innoculated with a lactic acid producing bacteria (starter culture), Lactic Butter contains a culture that ferments prior to the churning. The culture ripens the butter to a specific maturity when it is then pasteurized again to stop the ripening process. Containing lower moisture content and a higher smoking point than Sweet Cream Butter, Lactic Butter is often selected as a desired butter for baking since humidity in butter can affect baking results. Lactic Butter may also be referred to as Ripened Butter.