The butter board trend is something you’re familiar with if you use Tiktok. If you aren’t and you keep hearing folks discuss butter boards, I’ll fill you in on all the details! Butter the boards seem here, especially when the Christmas season is approaching. Everyone is looking for a hip new appetizer.Â
So here we will discuss what exactly a butter board is. Along with who invented it, there is a history and how to make butter boards. In addition to its ingredients and instructions to make it, we will discuss later how to serve your butter board and some other questions.
What is a Butter Board?
Butter boards consist of a wooden board (or a ceramic dish) topped with toppings like flaked sea salt, freshly extracted pepper, herbs and spices, citrus zest, consumable flowers, and honey. Butter boards, invented by award-winning Portland chef Joshua McFadden, have grown increasingly popular. As opposed to a charcuterie board, this is a flavored butter board.
They’re infinitely adjustable and a great way to make the butter more tactile and engaging because of how it’s presented. Bread, toasted bread, crackers, scones, or whatever goes with butter is served on butter boards. Consider a butter board a new compounded butter (butter flavored alongside herbs, spices, and other components).
Who Invented the Butter Board?
Butter boards were originally referenced in the James Beard Award-winning cookbook Sixth Seasons: A Fresh Approach to Cooking with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden. We may praise Tiktok and Justine Doiron for popularizing this butterboard.
History of the Butter Board:
A butter board is a meal made of soft butter that has been spread across a cutting board made of wood and topped with condiments and seasonings, including edible decorations such as salt, pepper, chilli granules, honey, zest from lemons, fruit or vegetable segments, herbs, or edible flowers. The meal is served with bread slices and eaten communally, with diners scraping the butter off the platter and spreading it on their bread. The butter board was originally featured in Joshua McFadden’s (2017) cookbook, 6 Seasons: An Innovative Approach with Vegetables. It became fashionable in 2022 after a TikTok viral video by culinary blogger Caroline Doiron, credited with popularizing the butter board craze.
How do I make a Butter Board?
Allow your butter to come to room temperature:
Allow unsalted, good-quality butter to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, or use a stand mixer to whisk the butter until it is frothy and light. Both are delectable. Whip butter is lighter, more delicate, and frothy than room-temperature butter.
Prepare your plate or cutting board:
Wash your board and plate thoroughly. It’s critical to have a separate cutting board for veggies. Alternatively, get a new board to guarantee no gashes in the surface into which butter may leak. A charming dish like our bread-shaped ceramic plate is an option. If you prefer a wooden board, you can lay down a piece of paper made from parchment and construct your board on it.
Smoosh with finesse:
Smoosh the butter onto your board or plate with a wooden spoon or offset spatula. A single butter jar serves 4-6 people at 2 and 1.3 tbsp per person.
Top
Season generously with flaky sea salt, just-ground coarse black pepper, and any additional flavorings you enjoy. For topping ideas, see the list below. We chose a roasting garlic board, including unsalted butter, flaky seaweed salt, toasted gritty black pepper, an extensive head of roasting garlic, lemon zest, carefully diced red onions, plenty of aromatic herbs, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Enjoy
Serve with warm or toasted bread, seed crackers, or anything that pairs well with butter. Set out little spoons or buttery knives on a platter, and let everyone scoop, spread, and enjoy!
Why is Butter Board Popular?
What else can I say? Everyone enjoys the meals presented on the boards. A charcuterie and cheese board is a fun and participatory way to entertain, and a butter board is a logical extension, especially if you’re providing bread and butter. There are detractors, but I enjoy a nice bread-and-butter beginning and believe this notion is brilliant. At this point, the two have a love-hate relationship, with many individuals on the web being both appalled and happy.
Ingredients for a Butter Board
Butter:
Unsalted butter takes the cake here. Purchase beautiful, golden, high-quality butter. The butter board is simply bread and butter. Therefore, the pieces of bread and the butter must be high quality. Kerrygold is a fantastic, widely accessible brand. It is also an excellent choice if you have a knack for locally-made butter.
Flaky sea salt:
Sea salt flakes are gorgeous, crisp, and feel great. We enjoy using Maldon sea salt in both ordinary flakes and smoked flakes. Jacobsen Salt Company is also fantastic. They have a variety of flavored salts, and their salt is sourced from the Northwest portion of the Pacific Ocean, meaning it’s close by.
Pepper:
Heat and warmth are added by freshly ground black pepper and additional peppers such as chilli flakes.
Spice:
A few spices are required to make the butter you use to sing. Just make sure they’re young! Spice blends work well, and za’atar butter, as well as everything bagel butter, both taste delicious.
Garlic:
Fresh for a hot kick or warmed for a gentle heat, I love garlic butter; a board of garlic butter is my notion of heaven.
Herbs:
Fresh herbs are flavor powerhouses. Consider thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, chives, rosemary, tarragon, mint, cilantro, and green onions; the herb world is vast and delightful.
Nuts:
The chopped nuts add crunch and texture. Pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or other nuts will do.
Sweet:
A sprinkle of honey from bee-sliced fruits, fruity compotes, jams, and even maple syrup adds a sweet accent to balance the savory. Breakfast butter boards with pancakes and waffles work incredibly well with sweetness and butter.
Instructions
- On a non-stick pan over low heat, roast chopped, freshly ground pepper for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring regularly. This will reheat the peppercorns and unleash a tremendous amount of spicy flavor. Remove the spice from the pan and set it aside to prevent it from burning.
- In a mixing basin, softly cream the butter using a silicone spatula and a wooden spoon. The butter ought to be silky and spreadable but not melted.
- Smoosh and swirl the butter across a board or plate with the back half of a spoon.
- Sprinkle with herbs and layer over the cut red onions. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve. Finish with a liberal sprinkle of flaky sea salt, zest from a lemon, and toasted crushed black pepper.
- Serve with warm baguettes and butter knives for easy scooping and spreading. Enjoy!
Butter Board Ideas
Here are some fantastic ideas for your best butter board experience: Try it and enjoy it!
Coriander with honey
Justine Doiron’s traditional combinations are flaky ground salt, pepper, young mint, ground coriander seeds, ground cardamom, freshly chopped basil, honey from bees, lemon zest, and edible flowers.
Honey with figs
Flaky sea salt, juicy quartered violet figs, and a liberal drizzle of honey
Sweet and Hot
Flaky sea salt, lime zest, honey, and chilli flakes from Calabria
Garlic
Whole roasted garlic cloves, freshly grated fresh garlic, minced parsley, and flaky salt are combined.
Lemon
Toaster caramelized lemons, freshly squeezed lemon zest, finely diced lemons, honey, mint, and flaky salt.
Pistachio
Pistachios, flaky salt, cilantro, lemon zest, and roasted tomatoes
Scallion
Fire-roasted green onions, thinly sliced green onions, and granular salt.
A bagel with everything on it
One of the best butter board ideas is capers with finely sliced purple onions, and a hefty sprinkling of everything bagel spice
Gremolata
Toast chopped pine nuts, zest from a lemon, finely chopped parsley, and finely minced garlic.
Pesto
Crushed garlic, toasted minced pine nuts, coarsely chopped fresh basil, and a liberal dusting of freshly grated parmesan
Dark chocolate
Shavings of dark chocolate, flaky salt, luscious raspberries, and toasted chopped pistachios.
Chocolate with hazelnuts.
Dark and light chocolate shavings, roasted chopped hazelnuts, and flaky salt combine.
How Artfully Do You Smoosh Butter?
The easiest technique to smoosh butter tastefully is to use the back of a spoon or a little offset spatula. If you beat your butter, you may use a silicone tool to create divots, like when frosting a cake. The trick is to make the butter seem like waves. It’s much simpler if your butter is at the proper temperature. It should be gentle and soft enough.
How do you Serve a Butter Board?
Prepare your butter board just before serving. They come together fast, so preparing them beforehand is unnecessary. If you must prepare your butter board recipe beforehand, place it in the refrigerator to keep the butter cool. Remove the butter board from the fridge and set it at room temperature for thirty minutes before serving. Arrange the butter board, dippers, tiny plates, miniature butter knives, and napkins around it. That’s all! Everyone may assist by scooping the flavored butter with knives or spoons and spreading it on toast.
Butter Boards and Dippers
A perfect butter board can only be completed with dippers. Therefore, here are some diapers you may want with your butter board.
- Freshly prepared crusty bread like nation loaves, sourdough, and baguettes are chopped or broken into individual portions.
- Toasting bread with butter is one of life’s basic pleasures. Toast your bread with some transforming fire.
- Crackers include seeded biscuits, cheese crackers, and freshwater crackers; fermented crackers are particularly tasty with butter boards.
- Breakfast foods include scones, pancakes, and waffles; sweet breakfast items complement adorable butter boards with dollops of jam, fresh fruit, and herbs.
- Radishes, snap peas, or any other crunchy vegetable that may be dipped
Are Butter Boards Safe?
Use an immaculate, dry wooden board designed exclusively for cutting bread and vegetables. If you insist on using a wooden board, acquire one made expressly for butter boards. Otherwise, I propose utilizing a huge flat plate to silence the critics of the butter board.
Kinds of Butter Board
Choose unsalted, high-quality butter. SMJR, an Icelandic butter made from ingredients only available in Iceland, is my all-time favorite. Here at home, I like Kerrygold or the locally available butter.
Many websites warn against the risks, since smushing butter into a hardwood board can allow the butter to go into the gaps where bacteria can develop, especially if you’re using a board to prep meals. To avoid this, place the butter board atop a plate or place an inch of parchment paper across the board to prevent the butter from getting into the crevices.
Also, compared to having everyone dip their bread slices into the melted fat communally, set out some little butter knives or shovels so they may scoop up the butter and avoid duplicate dipping.
Alternatively, you can build lovely individual butter boards on little plates or in dipping bowls. Also, you want the butter to be easily spreadable at room temperature, but keep it out for a short time since butter can grow rancid, particularly in hot, humid regions. It’s ideal to put together your butter board immediately before serving.
Butter Board Tips and Tricks
Although butter boards seem easy to make, to have a phenomenal experience with them, here are some tricks and tips.
- Your best buddy is soft butter. Allow at least thirty minutes for the butter to get to room temperature.
- Unsalted butter is preferable. Choose high-quality unsalted butter that you can season to your liking.
- The delicious dish is sprinkled with flaky salt from the sea and freshly ground pepper.
- It’s a party with herbs, seeds, nuts, and spices.
- Both sweet and savory. Drizzle with honey to add sweetness and shine.
- Always have spreading tools on hand. There will be no double-dipping!
- Make a platter for your butter board. It’s far simpler to toss a plate in the dishwasher than to hand clean a buttery oak board.
Enjoy your better boarding!
FAQs
What is a butter board used for?
Bread, toast, crackers, scones, and anything else that goes with butter, are served on butter boards. Consider a butter board a new compounded butter (butter flavored alongside herbs, spices, and various other components).
Are butter boards healthy?
Overall, occasionally sharing butter on your board with friends is unlikely to impair your health. However, doing so frequently or in large quantities may elevate cholesterol levels and enhance your risk of severe cardiovascular disease.
What the heck is a butter board?
This is precisely what it sounds like and should not be confused with a charcuterie board. It’s butter on a cutting board. A community butter board is more a method than a recipe. Soften additional butter, then spread it around a wooden cutting board, slate cheese platter, or marble plate. After that, sprinkle with honey.
Who started the butter board?
Joshua McFadden created the concept after including a recipe for a butter board in his 2017 cookbook, “Six Seasons.” A social media influencer, Justine Doiron, published a short video on TikTok a few years later. It quickly became a viral hit.
What is butter board material?
Marble: The best board material for it is marble. However, a wooden board made of oak wood is also a great choice for a butter board.
What is the “butter board” trend?
Distribute softened butter onto a board (or plate), then add flavoring components such as flaky salt, zest from a lemon, herbs, edible flours, nectar, or anything else that takes your fancy. Serve the cutting board with a loaf of bread and watch your guests consume it uncontrolled.
Conclusion:
A butter board is a meal of soft butter spread across a wooden cutting board and topped with condiments, seasonings, and edible decorations. Award-winning Portland chef Joshua McFadden invented it and became popular in 2022 after a viral TikTok video by culinary blogger Caroline Doiron. The ingredients for a butter board include unsalted butter, flaky seaweed salt, toasted gritty black pepper, an extensive head of roasting garlic, lemon zest, carefully diced red onions, plenty of aromatic herbs, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Locally made butter is an excellent choice for a butter board.
Instructions include roasting chopped freshly ground pepper. A softly creaming the butter, smooshing and swirling the butter across a board or plate, sprinkling with herbs, layering with red onions, drizzling with maple syrup, and finishing with a liberal sprinkle of flaky sea salt, zest from a lemon, and toasted crushed black pepper.
