creme fraiche is so easy to make apparently but I have never been successful. It needs a constant warm temperature but I find that hard to achieve in our house because it remains iquite cool in summer and I don’t have a hotwater cupboard. Recently I read on a sourdough bread baking forum that onexx way to get the starter/dough to rise well if the k itchen is cool is to put them into the microwave w ith the light on. I mixed up buttermilk and cream last night and put it into the xmicrowave oven over night with the door slightly open so that the light remained on.. Voila, beautiful thick creme fraiche this morning which is now chilliing in the fridge and will supposedly get even thicker. The cost is a fraction of the bought product. Danci g a little dance of joy in the kitchen this morning.

My Ipad



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2019 11:19PM by Chris.

I never knew it was that easy to make! Thanks for sharing.

As a side note, for bread rising in cooler weather I use a plug in heat pad (bought used on trade me, new they're silly expensive), and put both the heat pad and bread bowl in the oven, if it's not in use, or in a cardboard box if it is.

Great idea Jenna. Thanks.

Chris what is the process of making creme Fraiche?

Crème fraîche

500 ml plain cream
2 tablespoon cultured buttermilk

In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 40 degrees C. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk.
Transfer the cream to a large bowl and allow this mixture to stand in a warm place, 30 degrees C, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until thickened but still of pouring consistency. Stir and taste every 6 - 8 hours.
This process takes anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, depending on the temperature. The cream is ready when it is thick with a slightly nutty sour taste.
Chill cream, in the refrigerator, for several hours before using. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

sue Wrote:
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> Chris what is the process of making creme Fraiche?


The recipe I used had 1 cup of cream to 2 tbsp buttermilk. There was no heating of the cream involved but I have seen recipes which said to heat the cream just like in TPANDAV’s recipe. There are quite a few YouTube videos that you can watch. Take a look at Chef John’s. I am so pleased I have overcome the warmth issue. Microwave light solved that problem. Worth a try.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2019 02:30AM by Chris.

Thanks will give it ago.

Chris, as a side thought, if you're really keen on getting a temperature-controlled environment for your bread - I don't have a hot water cupboard either and my villa is freezing, so I bought a Brod and Taylor proofer (I wouldn't have a hope of getting my sourdough to rise 3/4 of the year without it). It's basically like a giant heating pad with collapsible/removable plastic walls (so it can be folded down and out away) and a glass lid. It maintains a constant temperature which is really handy. (Sadly I can't use my microwave for your creme fraiche trick as it helpfully turns the light off after a while!)

[brodandtaylor.com]

I can't recall where I bought it but it has a NZ/Aussie plug so it must have been local. For the price you could buy a lot of sourdough, but that's not the same as your own, of course! Alternatively, my favourite sourdough person Ed Wood recommends making your own proofer with a large polystyrene box, a thermostat, and a low-wattage lightbulb. Would be good if you're handy or have a handy husband - I am not even slightly handy and found it easier to spend the money.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2019 02:36AM by CarolynC.

CarolynC - what an incredibly useful looking machine! I hear what you're saying that one can usually fudge something together, but sometimes it is infinitely easier to just buy something that will do the job exactly right, every time, with no faffing about. I can think of numerous things is user that box for!

Thank you CarolynC, a Brod & Taylor proofer is on my list for when husband/son should ask what I would like for a special day. My husband is very handy doing things but I am not even going to ask him as I like that the proofer folds down flat. As an aside, I am baking all our bread nowadays and the money will be well spent.

Jenna, yes, it's really great - it can do temperatures well over 30 degrees so it's very flexible.

Great,Chris, enjoy when the day rolls around! Ironically, I thought the fold down part would be great too, but I've ended up never putting it away as I use it so often.

I made some more Crème Fraiche because I had a 300 ml bottle of cream to use up. Because. I didn’t have buttermilk in the house I used a heaped tablespoon of homemade Easiyo Greek yoghurt and as before left the jar overnight in the microwave oven with the light on. This morning I had lovely Crème Fraiche. It worked really well. I didn’t heat up the cream as is recommended on some websites, just cream straight out of the fridge. I guess the process just took a bit longer. At this rate I wouldn’t buy Crème Fraiche from the supermarket again.