Quickly Soften Butter for Baking

Have you ever gone to make a recipe and realize that it calls for soft butter?  All the butter you have is in the refrigerator!  What will you do?

The reason soft butter is typically called for is because the recipe usually calls for you to cream the butter with sugar, a pretty crucial step. When the butter is at room temps, the sugar will aerate the butter through the creaming process. This puts air into your recipe. After that, the baking soda or baking powder will expand the air pockets and help your final product to be light and fluffy. All because your butter was room temperature.

I have tried, in the past, to simply microwave the butter. Problem is, if it’s melted, the air bubbles will not form. It will simply dissolve the sugar. If the butter is cold, though, it will not be pliable enough to blend and cream. This is why it’s important to follow the recipe just as it states when it calls for room temperature butter.

 

When it comes to baking, there’s nothing that can match soft butter. Of course, the best way to have it handy is to keep it on the counter way before you need it. Yeah, we don’t always make that a priority.

 

Don’t fret. There’s a great trick that will help you get your refrigerated butter to room temperature in no time. And it is super simple! All you need is:

  1. Butter, cut into small slices
  2. Water
  3. Microwave

Using these items, you can have room temperature butter in no time. Here’s how:

  • Using a microwave safe bowl or cup, measure out 2 cups of water
  • Microwave the water until boiling, usually 2 to 3 minutes
  • Place your cold sliced butter into a bowl that is heat proof and place it in the microwave
  • Close the door on microwave to keep the hot air in. The butter will be soft in about ten minutes

After these steps, your butter should be ready for your recipe. Just remember, the more butter you need for your recipe, the larger the bowl you use for the butter should be. Piling a bunch of butter together in a large pile will not allow it to warm up like it needs to.

 

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