Powidło Polish plum butter recipe is easy to make at home. All it needs is to slow cook till quite dry before using as a spread or topping, or adding to a hearty bigos stew.
What Is Powidlo?
As one of the most popular fruits in Poland, plums or sliwki are harvested by the thousands. And these plums get added to plum cake, schab ze sliwka, rogaliki cookies, mazureks, and so much more. They’re even turned into a sweet kompot!
And traditionally, every year in autumn, plums are often carefully stored for the winter months. One popular stored food item made from plums is powidlo or plum butter. It may well be the oldest and the most basic recipe in Poland.
In order to make it work, all you need is to have ripe, soft juicy plums that are usually ready to pick up at the end of Sept or the beginning of October.
Perfect as a spread for bread or crepes, powidlo is also used in Polish meaty dishes such as roasts or bigos. It doesn’t take much effort to make, only time! But the resulting buttery plum spread is more than worth it!
How To Make Powidlo – Polish Plum Butter
Step I – Prepare The Plum Butter
This is the easiest Polish fruit dish to make. So easy, that all you need is a good quantity of ripe juicy plums. Start by washing and pitting the plums.
Then cook them slowly for 3 hours stirring occasionally so that they don’t stick to the bottom. You can also use a double-bottomed pot to prevent this.
The next day, cook the plums again for 2 hours and the last day for an hour. And the plum butter is ready! It can be used right away or pasteurized and stored for many months. We prefer to pasteurize many jars so we can store them for the whole year.
Step II – Pasteurize The Polish Plum Butter
Pour the plum butter into mason jars leaving an inch of space at the top. Close the jars, but not too tight.
Place a kitchen towel or large dishcloth at the bottom of a large pot. Add the jars on top of the towel, but make sure they don’t touch each other or the sides of the pot.
Add water to the pot till it reaches three-quarters of the way to the top. Allow the water to boil for about half an hour.
Remove the jars from the pot using gloves, mittens, or a canning jar lifter. Place the jars upside down on a towel or tray till they cool down. This process will also show you if any of the jars are leaking. Those should be consumed within a week to ten days.
The other pasteurized jars of plum butter can be stored in a cool dark place for up to a year, sometimes longer. That’s it! The easiest Polish plum butter recipe!
Tips For Making The Best Powidlo In Poland!
- Use soft and ripe plums to get the most delicious butter!
- Plum butter is vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and healthy too!
- Do not add sugar! The plums are naturally sweet! If you want it sweeter, add the sugar at the end.
- The plums will reduce a lot while cooking. So it’s best to make many kilograms at a time. For example, a kilo of plums gives you 250 grams of butter. So to make 2 jars, use 2 kg plums, to make 3 jars, use 3 kg plums, and so on.
- Check that the jar is sealed by pushing down on the lid of the can. If it moves, it’s not sealed properly.
- If the seal didn’t work, refrigerate the jam and use it within a month.
- Use powidlo as a spread for bread or crepes.
FAQs About Making Powidlo Plum Butter
Which Plums Should I Use For This Recipe?
Use plums that have been harvested late to make the best plum better. Plums harvested in September or October are best!
What Kind Of Pot Should I Use?
Since we’re allowing the plums to cook till dry, it’s better to use a thick-bottomed pan to prevent the plum butter from burning.
Why Is It Called A Butter? Isn’t It A Jam Or Marmalade?
Jams and marmalade are made using fruit and sugar. In contrast to this, Powidlo is made without sugar, and so is called plum butter.
How Do I Know When The Powidlo Has Cooked Enough?
The powidlo has cooked enough when a spoon dragged through it leaves a valley.
What To Serve Powidlo With?
Polish homemade plum butter goes perfectly with many things. Here are a few options:
- Use it as a topping for lazy pierogi dumplings or kluski slaskie
- Add it to sandwiches or toasted bread
- Use as a spread for crepes or racuchy pancakes
- Add it to roast meat as a glaze
- Add plum butter as a topping for ice cream, cake, or custard
How To Store Polish Plum Butter?
Store the pasteurized plum butter jars in a cool dark place till opened. Once the jar has been opened, put it in the refrigerator and finish within a month.
How Will I Know If The Powidlo Is Spoiled?
If the jar of powidlo is bulging, leaky, swollen, cracked, or oozes liquid or foam it is spoiled and must be discarded. Also, if the canned plum butter looks moldy, discolored or smells bad, it has to be discarded.
Polish Powidlo Plum Butter Recipe
Powidlo Polish Plum Butter Recipe
Powidlo is a Polish plum butter recipe that's easy to make at home. All it needs is to slow cook till quite dry before using as a spread or topping, or adding to a hearty bigos stew.
Ingredients
- 2lb (1kg) ripe juicy plums
Instructions
Prepare The Plum Butter
- Wash and pit the plums.
- Cook it slowly for 3 hours the first day, stirring from time to time. It’s very important to cook slowly and make sure the plums don’t stick to the bottom of the pot (use a double-bottomed pot).
- The next day cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- On the third day, cook for 30 minutes - 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Place the plum butter into the jar (8oz).
Pasteurize The Powidlo Jars
- Put the plum butter in jar, leaving 1" of free space from the top of the jar.
- Close the jars, but don't twist too tight.
- Put a ktichen towel or dishcloth on the bottom of a large pot.
- Put the jars into the pot taking care that they don't touch each other or the sides of the pot.
- Add water until it covers 3/4 of the jars. The temperature of the water should match the temperature of the jars. If they are cold, the water should be cold as well.
- Boil the water with jars for 30 minutes.
- Use gloves and take the jars out of the pot. If you have one, use a canning jar lifter.
- Place the jars upside down on a towel and wait until they cool down.
- Pasteurized plum butter can be stored in a cool dark place for up to a year.
Notes
- Make sure that the temperature of boiling water is not too high. The jars shouldn't jump or touch each other.
- If you want to make sure the pasteurization process went right, you can cover the jars with blankets to enhance the effect.
- If your plums are not sweet enough, you may add some sugar. Do it at the end (the 3rd day).
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 30Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 0g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix
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Did you like this powidło Polish plum butter recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
2 Responses
Do you refrigerate the plum between each cooking day?
I place them in the basement where it’s a bit colder. There’s no need to refrigerate them.