Béchamel Sauce
The French mother sauce you'll use more than any other. Smooth, creamy, and ready in fifteen minutes. Once you know how to make a proper béchamel, a whole world of French cooking opens up, gratins, lasagne, croque monsieur, soufflés, and more. This is the classic all-purpose version.
Ingredients
- 50 gr unsalted butter
- 50 gr plain flour
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
Equipment
- lemon zester to grate nutmeg
Instructions
Make the roux
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low to medium heat. Once it's fully melted and just starting to foam, add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or whisk until you have a smooth, pale paste. This is your roux. Cook it for 1 to 2 minutes , stirring constantly, to cook out the raw flour taste. The roux should smell faintly biscuity but not brown.
Add the milk
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to incorporate each addition before adding more. Adding all the milk at once causes lumps. Take your time with the first few additions, then pour the rest in more freely once the mixture is smooth and loose.
Cook until thickened
- Return the pan to a medium-low heat. Whisk continuously as the sauce heats and begins to thicken, about 5 to 8 minutes . The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn across it leaves a clean line.
Season and serve
- Remove from the heat. Season with salt, white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Taste and adjust. Use immediately or press clingfilm directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming.
Notes
- Traditional French béchamel uses white pepper to keep the sauce visually clean. Black pepper works perfectly well but leaves visible specks. Use whichever you prefer.
- Warm the milk first if you can as cold milk added to a hot roux is the most common cause of lumps. Warm the milk gently in a separate pan before adding it. Not boiling mind you, just warm.
- Whisk constantly and don't walk away. The sauce can catch on the bottom of the pan quickly, especially once it starts to thicken. Keep whisking and keep the heat medium-low.
- Nutmeg is not optional if you want to do it the French way. In classical French cooking, nutmeg is an essential part of béchamel, not a garnish. Use freshly grated if you can, pre-ground nutmeg has much less flavour.
- Lumpy sauce? Don't panic. Remove from the heat and whisk vigorously. If lumps persist, pass the sauce through a fine sieve. It will be perfectly smooth.
- Béchamel keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Press a sheet of clingfilm directly onto the surface before refrigerating, this prevents a skin from forming. Reheat gently over a low heat, whisking in a splash of milk to loosen if needed.