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Photo by Hank Shaw
“What do you mean you can make mustard at home?”
It was all I could do to say, “Well no shit, Sherlock! How did you think it was made? By mustard elves under a tree?” Thankfully, I am the age I am; a decade ago I might have let that one slip. But I did not. Instead, I said, “Why yes, and it is really, really easy to make.”
I had this conversation with another blogger at the annual BlogHer Food conference in San Francisco last week. I will refrain from identifying the person, because s/he probably would not want to be outed as someone ignorant in the mysterious methods of mustard making.
But I gotta tell ya folks, it ain’t mysterious. If you have mustard seed and water, you can make mustard. It’s that easy. And pretty much every nation in the Northern Hemisphere has done so over the years; mustard is a cool-weather crop, to the North what chiles are to the Equator.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Mustard is a condiment of a thousand faces. Some are smooth, others almost entirely made from barely cracked seeds. Vinegar is often used, but wine, beer, grape must, and even fruit juices are used to moisten the seeds. Sweetness is usually achieved by adding honey; an American “honey mustard” can be a 1:1 ratio of mustard to honey. A Bavarian sweet mustard, however, uses only sugar and water: no acid, no honey. Italians put fruit preserves in their mustard, a practice I wholeheartedly endorse.
Mustard is one of Europe’s few native spices, although a mustard also has been used in Chinese cooking for around 2,500 years as well.
Ancient Rome was quite the hotbed of mustard-making, and it is Rome that gives us our name for mustard: It is a contraction of mustum ardens, or “hot must;” the Romans often added crushed mustard seeds to unfermented crushed grapes. I’ve recreated a different Roman recipe for mustard that uses almonds, pine nuts, mustard seed and red wine vinegar. The ferocious bite of this mustard — it should be made with black mustard seeds, the hottest variety — is mellowed by the richness of the nuts. It’s a great accompaniment to roasted meats.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
The basic idea behind making mustard is this: Grind seeds and add cool liquid. At its most basic, this is all mustard is. Both Chinese and English mustard (think Coleman’s) is nothing more than water and mustard powder. But there are some things you need to know to make great mustard.
First, you need cold liquid. What gives mustard its bite is a chemical inside the seeds reacting with cool or cold liquid. You also need to break the seeds to get at the fiery chemical — it’s like cutting an onion. Heat damages this reaction, however, so to make a hot mustard use cold water, and warm water for a more mellow mustard. Mustard sauces lose punch when long-cooked, and should always have a little extra fresh mustard tossed in at the end of cooking.
This reaction is volatile, too. Left alone, your mustard will lose its bite in a few days, or in some cases even hours. But adding an acid, most often vinegar, stops and sets the reaction in place – this is precisely what happens with horseradish as well. Adding salt not only improves the flavor, but also helps preserve the mustard, too.
Once made, mustard is nearly invulnerable to deterioration. Mustard is one of the more powerful anti-microbial plants we know of, and, considering it is mixed with vinegar and salt, it becomes a heady mix no wee beastie can survive in. It is said that mustard will never go bad, although it can dry out.
You have three choices when it comes to which variety of mustard seed you use: White, brown and black. White mustard undergoes a different, milder reaction than do brown or black mustards, which are far zingier. American yellow mustard is made with white mustard seed and turmeric, brown mustards are in most of your better mustards, and black mustard is used in hot mustards or in Indian cuisine.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Incidentally, the wild mustard all over California is black mustard. You can thank Father Junipero Serra for that one: He used mustard, which grows like a weed, to mark his travels in Alta California 250 years ago.
The famous Grey Poupon mustard — Dijon has been a center of mustard-making for nearly a millennia now — is traditionally made with stone ground brown mustard and verjus, the tart juice of unripe grapes. I prefer this style of mustard, and most of my homemade mustards are grainy like Dijon. I grind my seeds with a spice grinder, but you could get all old school and use a mortar and pestle.
The best mustards, in my opinion, combine brown or black mustard seeds with white mustard powder: The two sets of chemical reactions complement each other and made a more complex mustard.
Always add water or a non-acidic liquid first, let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or so, then add the acid (vinegar, verjus, lemon juice, etc).
Add salt to taste, but it’s typically about 1-2 teaspoons per cup of prepared mustard.
Finally, let your mustard set in the fridge or in a cool place for at least a day before you serve it. Bitterness is a byproduct of the mustard reaction, but that bitterness fades after a day or so. Pure mustards can be kept at room temperature, but mustards with other ingredients, like the Roman nut mustard I mention above, should be kept in the fridge.
So there you have it. Easy-peasy. Now you really have no reason to ever buy mustard again.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
BASIC COUNTRY MUSTARD
What could be easier than making your own mustard? No, really. It is stupid easy. Grind some mustard seeds, mix with mustard powder and some liquid and you’re done. There is no earthly reason to ever buy mustard once you learn this basic recipe. Endless variations exist. Change the liquid and you change the mustard. Grind the mustard seeds a lot or a little and you change the texture — or skip the whole seeds altogether and use just mustard powder.
Which type of mustard seed do you use? Yellow is what we Americans are most used to, but brown is spicier, more mustardy. Black mustard is stronger still, and it grows wild over much of North America; gather the seeds in late summer or early fall.
Want herbs in there? Go for it. Like honey mustard? Pour some in. Want your mustard even spicier? Add chiles or freshly grated horseradish. I even made a mustard with fresh grape juice from my backyard wine grapes. I called it Deep Purple. Weird-looking but delicious.
The one caveat to making mustard at home is to wait. You cannot eat it the day you make it. Mustard needs to marinate to dissipate its bitterness. Try it: Eat a little dab right after you make it, then a day or two later. The difference is dramatic.
Makes about 1 cup.
Prep Time: 12 hours
- 6 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup mustard powder
- 3 tablespoons vinegar (cider, white wine or sherry)
- 1/2 cup white wine or water
- 2 teaspoons salt
OPTIONAL
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish
- 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (really any kind)
- Grind the whole mustard seeds for a few seconds in a spice or coffee grinder, or by hand with a mortar and pestle. You want them mostly whole because you are using mustard powder, too.
- Pour the semi-ground seeds into a bowl and add the salt and mustard powder. If using, add one of the optional ingredients, too.
- Pour in the vinegar and wine or water, then stir well. When everything is incorporated, pour into a glass jar and store in the fridge. Wait at least 12 hours before using. Mustard made this way will last several months in the fridge.
[...] make these following two recipes I took the inspiration from this useful post from Honest-food.net. Check it for detailed information about the chemistry behind home-made mustard and storing: it [...]
I wanted to make some mustard to give as gifts for Christmas this year. I tried a recipe for Honey Mustard that I found on another site. It heats the mustard to thicken it and it turned out well…bad. So I would like to try your recipe since so many other people seem to like it. Can I water bath can it after is it made? I would like to seal the jars that I give as gifts. Partially so they are sealed and partially so I don’t have to buy “fancy” lids for the jelly jars I was going to use. Thanks in advance for your response.
Jenifer: Mustard will not go bad, so you don’t really need to can it in the traditional sense. But if you wanted to get that sturdy seal, I’d water bath it for 5-8 minutes. Heating mustard really affects it flavor, though, so I’d be careful and do a test batch first.
Hank, great post!
Just a copule of questions: could you please provide receipt by weight (american or imperial, metrical even better!) instead of volume? I really find it hard to deal with cup-spoons etc volumes! Italian cups may be very different by american ones
Is there a general rule when planning a mustard receipe? What I cannot tacke from your receipes is the ratio (if any) for water to seeds to winegar etc.
Many thanks, Enrico
First of all, I have to say thank you for such a great post. I am just beginning to get into mustard making and this is very informative.
However, I must disagree with your closing statement that there is no reason to ever buy mustard again. The reason is to try all the great concoctions that others have made! Just stop by the National Mustard Museum (relocated to Middleton, WI from Mt. Horeb) and you will get a taste (literally) of many of the great mustards from around the world. One might still argue that after tasting a free sample you may refrain from buying in an attempt to replicate the mustard on your own, but of course I like to support the museum.
Oh man, why am I not surprised?! I’m embarking on a little mustard making today and thought I’d round up some other peoples thoughts/’recipes’ and you were the first website/blog to pop up. Not only is your suggested basic recipe wonderful but your entire blog entry is a perfect ’101′… not that I doubted it would be. Thanks once again!
[...] based this mustard on Hank Shaw’s recipe from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. It’s quite rustic and sour with lots of [...]
I’ve been making mustard for a while now. I use a stick blender after soaking the seeds. Super easy, and you have *some* control over the grainy-ness.
One year I made a selection of mustards for gifts – one of them was a cantalope mustard – now I cannot find the recipe anywhere – any ideas?????
Eva: Thanks for the tip! I normally like grainy mustard, but that’s a good solution if I want a smooth one.
Karen: Sadly, no. Sorry!
This is a great! Loved reading all the tips. I made an excellent mustard. I used 1/4 cup yellow mustard seed and 1/4 cup brown mustard seed. I got the seeds from Penzeys spices. they are on line. I mixed 1/3 c white wine, 1/3 c cider vinegar and 1/3 c water . I added a tsp of sea salt . I put everything in a tight lidded jar and stored hid it away for two weeks in a cool dark cabinet. I blended it in a processor with a little dry sherry until semi pulverized and put it back in the jar and in the fridge . Ready to use in day or two! Yum!
I would like to make the mustard and mail it to my family in Florida, but I saw that it needs to be refrigerated, but can be sealed in a jar. How do you seal it so it won’t go bad out of the refrigerator. I have never done this before. Thanks.
Michelle: Mustard doesn’t really go bad, so you can keep it at room temperature for a while. I’d just close the jars tightly and mail it away. Tell whoever is getting the mustard to put it in the fridge once opened.
Used the recipe last month. Today I’m having to make some more. The mustard was too good to last long.
I made some mustard & it is too thin, is there a trick to thicken it up?
Just discovered this site and it’s really excellent. I used to make my own mustard a few years ago (I wish I had this site then, with all the easy directions and trouble-shooting!) and am now looking to get back into it and broaden my skills. I’ve never attempted a fruit mustard–if I’m trying to keep a fruit mustard for a few weeks/months, do I have to worry about botulism? Is there an amount of vinegar that I have to stay above? And must work with low acid fruits require any extra compensation to keep the acid levels up (more vinegar, etc.) to stay safe? In the past, I never canned my mustards (i boiled the jars and lids, but not the mustards themselves as I also read that canning does alter the taste and wasn’t necessary), so is the answer just to can to be on the safe side? Can fruit mustards be as shelf-stable as the rest if done safely, or are they by their nature more perishable?
[...] recipe comes completely unedited or adapted from one of my favorite and most aspirational blogs, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook by Hank Shaw. For simplicity, I’ll include the recipe as I made it here, but do spend some [...]
[...] Since ours tends to be so all purpose, I decided to go for something a little softer. I adapted this recipe from Hunter, Angler, Gardener, [...]
[...] for something a little less heavy but just as DIY? Check out this recipe for Basic Country Mustard from Hank Shaw, author of Hunt Gather Cook. It’s quite easy, but patience is definitely one [...]
[...] Mustard (not the Pope’s purple [...]
Thanks for this recipe. I came across it looking for a substitute for a made-from-scratch whole grain mustard that a bar I used to work in made. We served it with soft warm pretzels and a side of cheese! It was so spicy, it could open up your sinuses
I can’t wait to make this at home.
I need to learn to cook with no salt. Will this mustard (basic) be eatable and not go bad if made salt free? Have to find some way to get foods spiced up.
[...] Mustard seeds and vinegar are basically it. You can get much more adventurous- check out the ideas here. There are basically 3 types of mustard seeds: white (what most commercial mustard is made of), [...]
hello
this basic mustard recipe excites me as it will be my first mustard making experience. Coincidentally I moved to an island In mexico where buying fine mustard is uncommon. Two questions before I start: I am unable to find mustard powder, can I double the seed amount to compensate? Reading other recipes, is it necessary to soak the seed before I use it?
Thank you for this reioe!
[...] http://honest-food.net/2010/10/18/how-to-make-mustard/ home made mustard [...]
[...] [...]
[...] I always say this). Mustard should be made everyone at least once in their lifetime
I found this blog post on how to make an easy “Country Mustard”. Once I eventually take my foraging [...]
I made this and didn’t have great success … I had an abundance of whole mustard seed so I ground a bunch into a fine powder and used that for the mustard powder. I measured out the seeds and hand ground with mortar and pestle. Keeping all the same measurements, what I got was a solid, chunky mass. I added more wine, more vinegar. Soaked it right up.
Did I go wrong somewhere?
Big Onion: Sounds to me like you had old mustard, which had dried out. Just add more liquid, a little at a time, until you get the consistency you want. It’s not an exact science.
[...] 2 Tbsp Homemade Mustard (Hunter-Angler-Gardener-Cook reveals it’s quite easy to make mustard!) [...]
[...] Makes about 1 cup. Slightly adapted from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. [...]
[...] is based off an article at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. I’m going to have to try out the recipe for Roman mustard from their [...]
If the bitterness is supposed to dissipate after a day or so, why do most commercial brands taste bitter to me?
I’d love to be able to make a nice, basic mustardy mustard. Not sweet, not fiery spicy, and most definitely not bitter!
I really notice – and dislike – bitter flavors. And adding sugar, for example, doesn’t mask that. Before going to the effort of buying ingreds and whipping up a batch, do you have any suggestions to insure a non-bitter result?
Secret Agent Girl: Sadly, I think you’re kinda hosed. Mustard has a bitter note to it, one that I crave, actually. The only thing I can suggest is to make a “ballpark mustard” with ground yellow mustard (not brown or black) and turmeric. That might get closer to what you are looking for.
This was my first attempt at making mustard. I exactly followed the above recipe yesterday afternoon using brown mustard seeds, cider vinegar and white wine. Tried it 12 hours later and I thought I had eaten a spoon full of wasabi. The heat was overwhelming. Does this dissipate over time? If not, is it the brown mustard seeds that give it all the heat?
David: It will dissipate over time, but the brown mustard does make it hot, as does the cold water. If you want it milder, use warm water. If you want it even milder than that, use warm water and yellow mustard. I like my mustard spicy, though.
I didn’t use any water, but rather white wine. Should I heat the mixture slightly before adding that or does the wine promote more heat? Maybe next time I’ll use only a third of the brown seeds and the rest yellow. I’m not giving up on this. Thanks for your quick response.
Hi, I’m growing the mustard for my first homemade mustard attempt. The pods aren’t ripe yet. When they get ripe and dry =, do you have directions for getting the seed into a usable state? Bonnie
Hank: made this, is pretty good, bu damned hot. Will simmering in it a sauce pan for a few minutes reduce the bite? If so, how long?
Thanks for all of this information. I just finished a mustard I LOVE; combining some bing cherries and port wine with yellow and brown mustard seeds and it is terrific. Then someone told me I should not veer off course from standard recipes (what fun is that?), that I should test the PH, definitely needed to process it in a hot water bath and more. Made me worry I would kill someone with my creation even though I went into it confident I had taken steps to not let that happen!
I had done enough research to not want to can it because of the negative association with heat and I’m so grateful to read that you concur. Of course I plan to refrigerate it but will now go eat a spoonful and rest easy.
I guess what I’m saying is thank you for letting me know I did it just fine.
Your recipe does not indicate an amount of time to wait after mixing the mustard seed with water / wine / or something else. If I understand correctly, the acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc) will stop the decline of the heat of the mustard that occurs after the mustard and liquid are mixed. True?
After that, the storage in the refrigerator for days to weeks is to get rid of a bitter taste not to wait for the heat to diminish. Is this true.
If the mustard is very bitter at the beginning, how do you get a feel for how hot it is as a function of time so you know when to add the acid?
Thank you so much for this great article! I love mustard and have made it at home a few times already, but always from recipes. This helped me understand the process a bit more, what vinegar does, why the cold liquid, etc. I’ll be making up my own recipe next time!
[...] [...]
I am in love with mustard. I have gotten my youngest sister addicted as well. I figured, what could be the best gift for her besides some real, homemade mustard. Then I started thinking of all of the possibilities of variation! She hates spicy, I LOVE spicy. So thank you for the inspiration to make your own mustard! You get another level of satisfaction consuming it, knowing exactly what went into it. I know I’ll never buy store bought mustard again…now I need to convince my little sister. Thanks!!!
[...] since opted for less time consuming versions like this easy one from America’s Test Kitchen or this from Sacramento based forager Hank [...]
[...] Here’s a recipe + step by step… [...]
Extremely well written and informative post Hank! The other consideration with the bitter flavor is that not all mustard seeds are created equal. I own a small mustard company and when we source our seeds we get dozens of samples, all tasting slightly different from each other. Best of luck with your mustard making endeavors!
This made me remember my gran making horseradish on the farm, and my dad always making mustard at home all the while showing me and telling me how he learnt it from his mom. I think it is time for me to continue the tradition. Thanks for a great post.
Could you make your own mustard powder by grinding some mustards seeds?
[...] based this mustard on Hank Shaw’s recipe from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. It’s quite rustic and sour with lots of [...]