The Absolute Best Butter For Baking, According To A Cookbook Author

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Ready to do some serious baking this week, but ran out of butter?  Be sure to restock your fridge with the butter this cookbook author believes is best for baking. Wondering why you should trust me? Well, I've authored two best-selling cookbooks, including my latest project, "108 Asian Cookies." I've also baked thousands of cookies and tested countless pastry, pie, bread, and cake recipes. After all that baking, this passionate baker wholeheartedly recommends you bake with European-style butter, which is different from American butter.

If you're looking for a specific brand, I suggest trying Plugrà European Style Butter. And here's the reason why I believe this butter is best for baking. Plugrà butter has exactly 82% butterfat, which is a French standard. This consistency in formulation guarantees consistency in your baking results. This means that every batch of your baked goods will behave the same.

With the additional 2% of butterfat, as American butters usually contain 80% butterfat, your resulting baked goodies will have a richer, more buttery, and flavorful taste. Plus, if texture matters, the higher butterfat in European-style butter also results in flakier pie crusts, puffier doughs, taller croissants, and cookies that don't spread all over the place.

Additionally, European-style butter should be your go-to when baking bread, especially breads like brioche, babka, and milk bread. The resulting bread crumb will be soft and tender. For this reason, European butter is also the secret to better biscuits. Out of the oven, your biscuits will be flaky and soft, and buttery tasting even before you add butter.

One thing of note is that, unlike many other European-style butters produced in Europe, Plugrà does not contain live cultures. In fact, Plugrà is an American brand despite the brand sporting two French words in its name. Its butter does not undergo fermentation and lacks the tangy, lactic taste that other European-style butters come with naturally. That said, the lack of tang isn't a dealbreaker for this baker. Plugrà, after all, has a sweet cream flavor and a clean taste, and its reliable 82% butterfat content more than makes up for it. If this cookbook author and pro baker doesn't feel the need to hunt down pricier imported French butters for her everyday baking needs, you shouldn't either.