Yayla Salted Traditional Butter – 250 g

Yayla salted farm butter is a 250 g block made in the farmhouse style the brand calls çiftlik tereyağı. The salt makes it a good everyday spread for bread and a handy cooking fat for eggs, rice and pastries, where a little seasoning in the butter is welcome.

What sets farm style butter apart

In Turkey, "çiftlik" or farm butter usually refers to butter with a fuller dairy taste and a deeper yellow colour than standard supermarket blocks. Yayla sells both a salted and an unsalted version under this name. The salted one suits the table, while the unsalted block gives bakers more control over the final seasoning of a recipe.

For fat content, salt level and the source of the milk, read the wrapper. Like all butter, it contains milk, and it should be kept in the fridge.

At breakfast

A Turkish style breakfast puts butter in the middle of the spread alongside honey, jam, white cheese, olives and fresh bread. Salted butter works especially well here. Spread on warm simit or toasted village bread, it melts into the crumb and balances sweet toppings like honey or molasses.

A common pairing on the breakfast table is butter with honey on the same slice, or butter swirled into grape molasses to make a quick spread. You can also add a curl of cold butter to a bowl of hot lentil soup right before serving.

Cooking with salted farm butter

Eggs

Butter gives fried eggs a nutty edge that oil cannot match. It is also the traditional choice for menemen, the scrambled egg dish cooked with tomatoes and green peppers. Melt a spoonful in the pan, soften the peppers, add the tomatoes and stir in the eggs at the end. Because this butter is salted, taste before adding any extra salt to the dish.

Rice and bulgur

Turkish pilaf often starts with butter. Toast a handful of orzo or vermicelli in melted butter until golden, add washed rice or coarse bulgur, then the water or stock. A small knob stirred through at the end gives the grains a gloss.

Pastry and sauces

Brush melted butter over börek before baking, or warm it with pul biber to drizzle over mantı and yoghurt. If you are making sweet pastry such as baklava, choose the unsalted block instead.

Salted farm butter also makes a quick garlic butter for flatbread. Mash softened butter with crushed garlic, chopped parsley and a pinch of pul biber, spread it on pide or lavash and warm it in the oven for a few minutes. Roll any extra into a log, wrap it and keep it in the fridge for steaks or grilled corn later in the week.

Storage

Keep the block wrapped in the fridge and use it within the time shown on the pack. If you prefer a softer spread, take out only what you need for the day and leave it in a covered butter dish at room temperature. Salted farm butter keeps a little longer than unsalted, since salt slows spoilage, but it still needs the fridge for anything more than a day. Butter absorbs smells, so keep it away from onions and strong cheese in the fridge.

Order Yayla butter online

If you are looking for Turkish butter in the UK, Robin Food delivers across the country, with same-day delivery available in many London areas. For baking, pick up Yayla Unsalted Farm Butter. For breakfast, pair this block with Koska Grape Molasses and Attiki Greek Honey.