Martha Stewart Uses This Kind of Butter for Holiday Baking

Virtually anyone can make a halfway decent dessert by following a recipe, but true visionaries understand that baked goods are only as good as their ingredients. If you’ve ever baked a lackluster pie, cake or muffin and wondered where you went wrong, the answer might simply lie in the type of flour or the type of butter you used. And what could be better than a bona fide Martha Stewart butter recommendation?

What butter does Martha Stewart use?

In an Instagram post prior to Thanksgiving, Martha can be seen posing with an entire kitchen island full of freshly baked pies, each one looking like it leapt from the pages of her magazine. “Total pies baked 35,” reads the caption. “Chocolate pecan, brown butter maple rum pecan , pumpkin phyllo , apple crumb , and cranberry!” She then goes on to list some impressive pie stats: two days of labor, 100 eggs, 25 pounds of flour and three ovens used to bake them all. But buried within the data points was an important product callout: “thirty pounds plugra butter.”

Plugrà is a European-style butter (it can’t be called “European butter” because it’s made in the United States, albeit using European techniques). It’s a high-quality product preferred by many cooks and bakers, and is the star of at least one restaurant menu. It’s regularly ranked as one of the very best butters for American home cooks, comes highly recommended by iconic chefs and is sold both salted and unsalted, depending on your needs.

Why use European butter for baking?

European and European-style butters have higher fat contents than the leading U.S. brands. A good rule of thumb, whether cooking or baking, is that fat equals flavor. This is one reason why margarine, which was once used liberally in mid-century cooking and baking, has mostly fallen out of favor: Its higher water content means less flavor is imparted to the final product.

While typical American butter has a milk fat content of 80% (the minimum required by USDA guidelines), U.S.-made Plugrà goes up to 82%, which is the minimum amount required for butter produced in the European Union. The EU stipulates that butter must have between 82% to 90% milk fat, so European home cooks (or Americans importing butter directly from Europe) can find even richer, creamier options. Plugrà is, meanwhile, widely available at leading U.S. grocery stores and is also within a more attainable price point, making it a great option for U.S. consumers.

Real European butter can have additional advantages, beyond butterfat content. It tends to be made in smaller batches. European cows are more likely to have been raised on pastures than fed commercial feed, which may influence the flavor of their milk. European butter can be made from cultured cream (which gives it a slight tang), and has a salt content that adds complexity to any dish.

With so much flavor and richness, it’s worth splurging on imported European butter on special occasions, like when you’re aiming to present your guests with true showstopper. The New York Times’ Wirecutter service recommends Isigny Sainte-Mère from northwestern France, highlighting its “cheesy” flavor. The brand also makes a cultured butter that offers “a sweet, dairy-rich flavor and a slight tang at the end.” This butter is available at select Whole Foods locations and at specialty markets.

However, if you’re short on time or don’t want to spend an eye-popping amount on butter, Plugrà is a fantastic option. After all, it’s good enough for Martha’s pies, so it ought to work just fine for the rest of us.