Here you will discover a collection of knowledge about butter, the regulations concerning butter, its nutritional properties and the different types of butter.

 

Butter is a yellow to white fatty substance made from milk or skimmed milk (that is, the fattiest part of milk after the separation process called skimming) or a mixture of these by buttering (skimming). With butterification, the coalescence of the fat spheres is achieved in a solid emulsion (in milk, the fat spheres are at greater distances and not connected). In addition to fat spheres and water, this emulsion contains curd, lactose, and mineral salts. The color of butter is due to carotene and other fat-soluble pigments included in the fat. The milk used as a raw material can be cow’s, sheep’s, goat’s, sheep’s or, more rarely, buffalo’s. Butter is used as food and as cooking fat.

 

 

Butter is often used to soften and balance flavors.

Butter softens basic tastes such as sweet, salty, bitter and sour. For example, it will enhance a chocolate ganache by making the bitterness of the cocoa more pleasant.

 

There are many types of butter on the Greek and world market.

 

Types of Butter:

• Depending on its color:

White.

Yellow.

• Depending on the origin of the milk:

Cow butter with a huge variety

Sheep butter. Mainly melted for use in confectionery.

Goat butter and Buffalo butter

 

The butter we use will make the difference. The most common types we find on the market are the following:

 

Fresh butter, we say the butter produced by small producers, is fresh so it has a short shelf life and must be consumed immediately. We always keep it in the fridge. It has a rich, fresh and milky aroma and is ideal for cooking and confectionery. Very rich in flavor and aroma and many swear by this unique delicacy. This butter is produced by “peaking” the milk, literally by peaking the cream of the milk, after a few hours of rest. You will find fresh cow, sheep, goat and buffalo butter. It is relatively hard in its texture but its deliciousness is indescribable. Ideal for kourabies, buns, cookies, king pies, this butter is everything you need for sweets and food. It is also ideal for bread.

 

Milk butter is usually produced from the cream of sheep’s and goat’s milk (sheep’s milk butter) and is found in a melted form in a jar. On the outside of the package, it says “melted butter”. It is ideal for cooking and pastry making and especially for kourabies, buns, but also pan sweets. When stored in the refrigerator, it is solid with a light yellow color. When at room temperature, it melts very easily and turns into a yellow liquid.

It gives a rich flavor to baked goods and because it has low moisture, it gives us fluffy and soft buns. It is, of course, ideal for every use: pies, cooking and confectionery, especially for baking sweets.

 

Pasteurized butter is the butter that comes from the pasteurization of milk, which is why it can be kept for many months. Most of the butters traded worldwide belong to this category. It is ideal for cooking and confectionery, with a mild and smooth taste and a hard texture. It softens after several hours at room temperature. It is ideal for cooking and pastry and also for our breakfast. It melts easily and is suitable for everyday cooking, cakes, cookies, biscuits, sweet and savory doughs.

A fresh tasty ice cream just the way you want it, you can only find it in your neighborhood pastry shop! Like every year, this year too you have to be ready for the upcoming summer season, which is known to be extremely demanding as it asks you to put all your craft into the most sought-after product of the summer: Ice cream!

 

So properly prepare your confectionery for the increased demands of the season. How will you make a difference this year? Naturally proposing new proposals that fit the needs of the season like a glove! So bet on ice creams and don’t hesitate to experiment more than last year.

Ice creams are the “must” of the summer and at such a time they will “work” more than all the other sweets. So stock up on original flavors and be inspired by recipes that will make a sensation. Invest in the variety of textures (granitas, sorbets, ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches, etc.), but also in the accompaniments (freshly baked waffles, chocolate covered cones, colorful syrups, crunchy nuts and cereals).

 

Of course, the First Materials also play the primary role in this product. The fresh milk, milk creams, fruit and any other material you will use must be of high quality, as it will directly affect the final taste result. An important asset in ice cream is, of course, the packaging you choose to put it in to sell it. Prefer materials that are non-toxic, ecological, and able to properly preserve the ice cream that will be stored for as long as possible. One such material that is common is Styrofoam. .

 

As important as the taste of your ice creams is, the way you decide to present them in your pastry shop is just as important. In the shop windows the ice creams should always be, but also look fresh, “alive” and the codes of the expired flavors should be renewed as quickly as possible. Customers should also have several choices of extra ingredients to add, such as: “tongue” cookies, syrups, waffles, cones in various sizes but also rockets with various toppings, colored truffles, candies, etc.

Only in this organized and fast way will you be able to sell ice cream and increase your turnover. But don’t underestimate your packaging either. They should be sanitary, primarily practical, but also impressive. Do not forget that ice cream is a particularly vulnerable product that needs special treatment during its storage and transportation.

Chocolate, as mentioned, is produced from the fruit of the cocoa tree. This fruit after its processing, fermentation, drying and roasting, is divided into 2 main components: cocoa mass and cocoa butter. The types of chocolate are based on these 2 basic ingredients and are differentiated by their percentage composition in the chocolate but also by the admixture of other materials, mainly sugar and milk. The main types of chocolate are the following:

• Cocoa : Cocoa is a powdered chocolate product with a cocoa butter content between 10% and 25%.

• Couverture : Consists of cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. The percentage of cocoa mass determines the quality and taste of chocolate to a large extent. The percentage starts at 50% for the most common chocolates, reaches 70% for chocolates with a high cocoa mass content and excellent quality, and reaches 95% in the highest percentage of absolute bitter chocolate without added sugar.

• Bitter chocolate: It is essentially cocoa mass without the addition of sugar. Bitter chocolate is not consumed as it is, because it is very bitter (hence the designation bitter), but it is ideal for use in confectionery, especially in recipes that require the addition of a large amount of sugar (so the bitter taste of the bitters will balance the sweetness of sugar)

·         Milk chocolate: Consists of cocoa mass, sugar and milk (or milk powder). The percentage of cocoa mass is on average 35%. Milk chocolate has a relatively soft texture due to the additional dairy it contains. In addition, it is sweeter and less bitter than black. As it melts easily in the mouth, it is recommended to enjoy it as is (in a bar).• White chocolate: Consists of cocoa butter, sugar, milk (or milk powder) and does not contain any cocoa mass. Vanilla is also often added to the mix. White chocolate is very sweet and creamy, but does not have the bitter dimension of chocolate with cocoa mass.• Dark chocolate: Also known as “healthy”, it is divided into two categories: bittersweet and semisweet. In both cases it contains at least 35% cocoa mass, although semi-sweet may have more sugar than bittersweet. The cocoa mass content in some dark chocolates can be as high as 80%, but in this case the chocolate is very bitter and particularly brittle. Some dark chocolates are fruitier, while others have a more subtle flavor, which depends more on how the fruits are processed than on their cocoa mass content.• Pink chocolate : Swiss scientists used red cocoa beans and managed to create a new pink chocolate. Pink chocolate, named Ruby, is the first type of chocolate to be created in the last 80 years and the fourth chocolate in line after dark, milk and white chocolate, which were created in the 1930s. The color is entirely due to the cocoa beans Ruby and not in pigments. Its taste is natural and not created by fruit additions. It has a light, creamy texture and is a new aesthetic delight unlike other chocolates, as it is neither bitter nor sweet, but something completely different.