Rose Levy Beranbaum

Clarified Butter and Browned Butter

Beurre Noisette

Appears in
top 1000The Baking Bible
The Baking Bible

By Rose Levy Beranbaum

Published 2014

  • About

Clarified butter is ideal for people who are lactose intolerant because it removes all the milk solids, leaving only the butter “oil.” Several recipes in this book call for beurre noisette, or clarified butter that has browned to the color of noisettes (French for “hazelnuts”). Beurre noisette offers a richer, more delicious flavor than melted or clarified butter.

Clarified or browned butter will keep, covered, for months in the refrigerator, or just about indefinitely in the freezer because the milk solids have been removed. (It is the milk solids that cause butter to become rancid relatively quickly.) I always make extra clarified butter to have on hand. (The solids can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks, or frozen for up to 6 months. They are excellent for adding flavor to bread and cookie doughs; a tablespoon or two can be mixed in when adding the flour.)