How to substitute brown for regular butter in baking?
June 23, 2023 8:13 AM Subscribe
I'd like to find a way to substitute brown butter for regular butter in baking recipes, because I find it improves the flavor.
Since water is lost when butter is browned, my best guess is: weigh the butter, brown it, weigh it again, and make up the rest with water.
I'm wondering what the ideal point in the recipe to add the water is, and whether it will even work - does the water need to be mixed extra aggressively to emulsify with the butter or anything?
Since water is lost when butter is browned, my best guess is: weigh the butter, brown it, weigh it again, and make up the rest with water.
I'm wondering what the ideal point in the recipe to add the water is, and whether it will even work - does the water need to be mixed extra aggressively to emulsify with the butter or anything?
This source estimates that a tablespoon of water per 1/2 cup of butter is lost. That seems easy enough to make up for in a lot of standard cake and cookie recipes. If your recipe has liquid ingredients, just add a little extra to the liquid (I would count eggs as a liquid for this purpose, possibly even flavor extracts if there's a fair amount of flavoring). I don't think it even necessarily would have to be water, just extra liquid.
If the recipe doesn't have liquids, I'd try following the suggestion on that page to just make extra brown butter and do a 1-to-1 substitution (chilling the browned butter to solidify if needed). Now, I don't really do pastry or very finicky baking, so this might not work with less forgiving recipes, but I have a hard time thinking of any recipes I use regularly where one of these approaches doesn't seem viable.
posted by EvaDestruction at 8:52 AM on June 23, 2023
If the recipe doesn't have liquids, I'd try following the suggestion on that page to just make extra brown butter and do a 1-to-1 substitution (chilling the browned butter to solidify if needed). Now, I don't really do pastry or very finicky baking, so this might not work with less forgiving recipes, but I have a hard time thinking of any recipes I use regularly where one of these approaches doesn't seem viable.
posted by EvaDestruction at 8:52 AM on June 23, 2023
Most casual baking is nowhere near this precise. A tablespoon of water here and there is well within the precision expected of kitchen measuring tools and the variation in "natural ingredients"--unless you're already squinting at a meniscus in your graduated cylinder, don't sweat it, or err on the generous side when measuring and call it a day. Another way to look at it: do you worry about the amount of water in your flour due to ambient humudity and age? Do you weigh your eggs after whisking to correct for size variation? To be clear, you CAN do these things, and I'm not shaming people who do (and I have done them on occasion--I have some training as a chemist and have worked in labs, so I can do this sort of thing the right way if I need to) but for the vast majority of recipes it's just not going to make a discernable difference in the end product.
I think a much greater concern is the fact that by definition you're working with melted brown butter, or maybe melted and re-solidified brown butter. The distinction between melted and softened butter can make a considerable difference in basically any recipe where there's a "cream butter and ____" step, and while a substitution can work (and, in some cases, even improve the results--lots of people prefer the texture of melted butter cookies), you should be aware of the difference. Also, to be clear, I do think the loss of the water when browing butter is a factor here, but I suspect it has to do with the uniform distribution of water in unmelted butter, and can't simply be compensated for by replacing a tsbp. or two with the liquids.
posted by pullayup at 9:11 AM on June 23, 2023 [11 favorites]
I think a much greater concern is the fact that by definition you're working with melted brown butter, or maybe melted and re-solidified brown butter. The distinction between melted and softened butter can make a considerable difference in basically any recipe where there's a "cream butter and ____" step, and while a substitution can work (and, in some cases, even improve the results--lots of people prefer the texture of melted butter cookies), you should be aware of the difference. Also, to be clear, I do think the loss of the water when browing butter is a factor here, but I suspect it has to do with the uniform distribution of water in unmelted butter, and can't simply be compensated for by replacing a tsbp. or two with the liquids.
posted by pullayup at 9:11 AM on June 23, 2023 [11 favorites]
Kenji Lopez-Alt has done a deep dive on this, he recommends 2tbsp water (1 ice cube) for 2 sticks of browned butter.
He explains this, and much more, in his chocolate chip cookie recipe.
posted by jpeacock at 10:00 AM on June 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
He explains this, and much more, in his chocolate chip cookie recipe.
posted by jpeacock at 10:00 AM on June 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
A slightly alternate approach I've used, because I also love finding ways to work browned butter into recipes:
1. Make browned butter solids in bulk. King Arthur Flour is where I saw this trick, but you're basically dumping in a bunch of milk powder when browning butter, & harvesting the solids.
2. Fold those solids into fresh butter. I don't have a precise ratio here, so go to taste.
Now you have the flavor of browned butter, but without the issue of the ghee separating out & having to re-add water.
posted by CrystalDave at 11:24 AM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
1. Make browned butter solids in bulk. King Arthur Flour is where I saw this trick, but you're basically dumping in a bunch of milk powder when browning butter, & harvesting the solids.
2. Fold those solids into fresh butter. I don't have a precise ratio here, so go to taste.
Now you have the flavor of browned butter, but without the issue of the ghee separating out & having to re-add water.
posted by CrystalDave at 11:24 AM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
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For example I use a pretty well known America's Test Kitchen Blondie recipe and I add a step to brown the butter and I don't notice any textual differences.
posted by mmascolino at 8:46 AM on June 23, 2023