Part of my Baking Basicsseries: Learn about the many butter temps you may encounter in recipes, what room temperature butter really means, how to get it properly, and why butter temperature is so important in baking.

You’ll encounter recipes that ask for room temperature butter all the time, but do you actually understand what that means? If not, you’ve come to the correct spot! Let’s get this thing started.

What room temperature butter really means

Room-temperature butter is not always warm; in fact, it is likely to be cooler than the surrounding environment. It will still be cold to the touch and should be approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18C).

Why the right butter temperature matters in baking

Your butter’s temperature and consistency may make or break your dish. No, it absolutely can.

If you’ve ever prepared cookies and had them spread all over the baking pan to produce one gigantic mutant cookie, it’s because the butter was too warm and fluid.

If you’ve ever baked a cake and found it thick when you expected it to be fluffy, the butter was probably too soft.

You’ll note that I often use room-temperature butter and eggs in my recipes. This is because room-temperature components mix easier than cold ones.

Cold components have a difficult difficulty emulsifying, resulting in inconsistent and unappealing outcomes.

Butter is a solid fat that can contain air, and the act of creaming butter and sugar holds that air. Thus, when you make a cake, the trapped air expands while it bakes, giving you that soft and fluffy cake you like.

Different butter temperatures

Chilled

• Temperature: about 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2C)
• It is often used in pie recipes. As you cut cooled butter cubes into the dry ingredients for the crust, it creates a lovely flaky crust.

Softened

• Temperature: 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18C)
• Application: This ingredient is often found in cake recipes as well as various cookies. Its texture is soft enough to be creamed with sugar, yet solid enough to include the proper quantity of air while mixing.

Melted and Cooled

• Temperature: 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29C)
• Frequently used in brownie and bar recipes, as well as various cookies. It may assist produce a beautiful, cracked crust to brownies and lend itself to chewy cookies when added to brownies. When using melted butter in cookie recipes, keep in mind that the dough must be chilled before baking to avoid overspreading.

How to bring butter to room temperature

The time-tested technique for bringing butter to room temperature: Let the butter to settle on the counter for 1-2 hours before using it. The time it takes will be determined by how warm your kitchen is.

But you can’t always plan that far ahead, can you? To rapidly get butter to temperature, I fill a glass halfway with boiling water, let it rest for 10 seconds, then drain out the water and place it upside down over a stick of butter on a plate.

After a few minutes, you may remove the glass and discover softened butter!

To test the temperature of your butter, push a clean finger into the top of the butter. Your finger should produce an impression but not glide right through to the other side.

To be really honest, I never take the temperature of my butter. But if you’re new to baking and still trying to figure it out, insert a thermometer in the center of the stick of butter to get a sense for what it should look and feel like.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have a cat that really wants the butter you’re working with, here’s a perfect example of one such cat being denied the golden deliciousness he craves:

I hope this was helpful! Is there anything more I should have spoken regarding this topic? Please let me know in the comments section below.

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