Baking Basics: Why do we cream butter?

Most recipes that contain butter begin with the same first step. Cream the butter. Why do we do this?

Butter, especially butter directly out of the fridge, can be very hard. Even room temperature butter just sits in one big lump without doing something to it first.

 The butter molecules like to hold onto each other. Especially when they're packed down like butter is before it's packaged. There are two ways to get around this. Either to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, like you would for pie crust or biscuits. Or, you can cream it.

Creaming butter whips the butter and coaxes the butter molecules to let go of each other enough to allow air into the mix. This keeps the butter light and fluffy and will do the same to your cake or cookies. Without this step, the butter sticks together and your cake or cookies will be very heavy and dense.

 The next ingredient is normally the sugar. Whip the butter and sugar together until combined and a creamy texture.

 Following the sugar, you whip in the eggs. Look how light and fluffy this recipe is. I want to try it. And this method makes lovely, smooth batter or dough and is really something appetizing.

Watch us talk about the entire process on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/tmVyrOrbdMU
Schaut zu wie wir das ganze Prozess reden auf YouTube hier: https://youtu.be/W4T5vQBr0k4