WHAT IS A MALAXER?
A malaxer is a historic machine used by butter makers to express the final amount of buttermilk from the butter. This is a critical step that not only ensures the butter stays fresher for longer, but also contributes to the texture, aroma and flavour.
While appearing in many different configurations, a malaxer fundamentally comprises a flat table and a corrugated rolling pin. Butter is kneaded, massaged and folded as it passes under the pin.
Malaxers were common in medium to large sized dairies through the 19th century. They were normally operated by hand, however the most sophisticated were powered by a horse treadmill. As industrialisation improved operational efficiencies through the 20th century, commercial butter makers turned away from batch processing and towards continuous factory production lines. Cultured butter also gave way to ‘sweet cream butter’ as new machines meant cream could be separated from milk in mere minutes as opposed to days (read more about that here).
Bland, cheap butter soon became the norm and malaxers were lost to antiquity.
WHY DOES MADELEINE USE A MALAXER?
At Madeleine, we’re obsessed with butter and strive to make our craft the very best it can be. This means analysing every step of the process and acting without compromise.
Using a malaxer is labour intensive and time consuming, so most dairies understandably don’t use one - they instead squeeze their butter within a churn. We believe, however, the hands-on practice of a malaxer produces superior flavours and texture, while also affirming the relationship between butter maker and butter.
We only know of one other butter maker in the world that uses a malaxer; Le Beurre Bordier in Brittany. They have been producing outstanding butter since 1985.
OUR MALAXERS - DIANA AND WILL
We named our antique malaxer Diana, after the young woman we purchased it from in the Mâcon wine region of southern Burgundy.
This gorgeous machine is from the 1920s and was built by Simon Frères. It has a circular table and a rolling pin that resembles a closed umbrella. When you turn the handle, both the table and the pin move in unison, massaging the butter with each revolution. It still works, but isn’t practical for our regular butter making.
Unfortunately, malaxers currently only exist as an antique. You can’t just go out and buy one - so we built one. We used Diana as the inspiration for our first modern malaxer, Will - named after the friend who designed it. Each batch of Madeleine is worked on the malaxer table, elevating the flavour and texture of our butter with each revolution.
Simon Frères’ early 20th century display room with malaxer
Diana, our antique Simon Frères malaxer
Will, our first modern malaxer