Béchamel sauce 5/5 (1)

Béchamel sauce, also known as a White sauce; originated in Italy, then introduced to France. In French cuisine, it’s one of the mother sauces.

It’s basically made from roux, which means a paste prepared from an equal portion of butter and all-purpose flour / maida sautéed well, then simmered in milk and seasoned with spice and herbs resulting into a thick sauce.

Roux is an equal proportion of flour and fat cooked together. It’s used as a thickening agent for gravy, soups, sauces, and stews. The flour is mixed in the melted fat, blended until smooth and other ingredients are added to get the desired consistency and texture.

I made this as a healthier version as I always prefer wheat flour than all-purpose flour. I restrict the usage of Maida as much as I can and incline much on wheat flour. In this sauce also, I replaced all-purpose flour for wheat flour. Unless I reveal it no one could figure out its inclusion. It tastes the same. 

Always go for full-fat milk, as the sauce needs to be creamy and thick. Low-fat is not a wise substitute as it’s not that creamy and your sauce end result may not be the same.

I used salted butter, as it adds an extra kick to it, you can use unsalted butter as well. It’s purely your choice.

Thumb rule for my Béchamel sauce is the ratio which is 1:1:10. That is 1 portion of butter to one portion of flour to ten portions of milk. Any cup or tbsp you take for measurements. Ex. if you are taking 2 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of flour (as roux has to be equal weight), then milk has to be 20 tbsp, 10 times of fat or flour. According to your requirement fix the measuring tool.

This sauce is very handy as it has versatile usage. It can be a sauce, dip, dressing, or topping. Especially, it’s kid’s favourite sauce, due to its creamy and delicious nature.

Tricks to get best béchamel sauce:

• The ratio of fat: flour: milk should be 1: 1: 10.
• Continuous stirring of flour in the fat is essential as it prevents scorching of the flour.
• This stirring is a must for at least 2 minutes or till the raw smell of flour goes which also prevents lumping of flour when milk is added.
• The entire process should be carried out in low medium flame.
• It’s better if you add warm milk, which ensures even dissolving of roux with no lumps.
• While the milk is added, parallel stirring is mandatory. If the flour is stirred well early, later when milk is introduced it doesn’t require vigorous stirring with a whisk. Just a ladle stirring is sufficient. 
• If you prefer your white sauce to be spiced up, you can amplify its taste by seasoning with pepper powder, red chilli flakes, and dry herbs.
• Adding garlic and sautéing in butter zips the sauce up a notch.

If you follow all these tricks your béchamel sauce becomes a flawless recipe. Also check my White sauce pasta / Béchamel sauce pasta.

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Heat a skillet with ½ cup butter.

Once melted, add 1 tbsp garlic and sauté for 2 minutes in medium flame till it turns golden brown.

Then add wheat flour and sauté continuously in low medium flame till the raw smell goes off. Do not burn it, this step is very crucial to achieve the right texture and aroma of roux.

After 2 – 3 minutes of continuous sautéing, add 5 cups of warm milk and keep stirring for another 5 – 6 minutes till it thickens.

After 6 minutes, the sauce would have thickened, now keep low flame and season with salt, chilli flakes, mixed dry herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley) and black pepper powder, mix it and switch off the flame. (Note that after adding the spices, the flame has to be turned off).

Keep stirring and finally add Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir it well till it melts in the sauce.

Versatile and tasty Béchamel sauce for pasta is ready. Once cooled down, transfer it into an airtight container and add warm milk on top to avoid forming layers. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.

Recipe Card

Preparation time: 5 minutes 

Cooking time: 12 minutes 

Cuisine: Italian / French, International 

Category: Accompaniment / sauce

Serves: 4 – 5

Author: Manimala

Ingredients:

Butter – ½ cup or 8 tbsps

Wheat flour – ½ cup or 8 tbsps

Milk – 5 cups 

Garlic – 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder – ½ tsp or 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes – 1 tsp

Mixed dry herbs – 1 tbsp

Parmesan cheese – 2 tbsps (optional)

Mozzarella cheese – 2 tbsps (optional)

Salt – to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a skillet with ½ cup butter, once melted, add 1 tbsp garlic and sauté for 2 minutes in medium flame till it turns golden brown. 
2. Then add wheat flour and sauté continuously in low medium flame till the raw smell goes off. Do not burn it, this step is very crucial to achieve the right texture and aroma of roux.
3. After 2 – 3 minutes of continuous sautéing, add 5 cups of warm milk and keep stirring for another 5 – 6 minutes till it thickens.
4. After 6 minutes, the sauce would have thickened, now keep low flame and season with salt, chilli flakes, mixed dry herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley) and black pepper powder, mix it and switch off the flame. 
5. Keep stirring and finally add Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir it well till it melts in the sauce. (Note, after adding the spices, the flame has been switched off).
6. Once cooled down, transfer it into an airtight container and add warm milk on top to avoid forming layers. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.

Notes:

• Traditional béchamel sauce has all-purpose flour but I replaced it with wheat flour as a healthy version. Believe me, it tastes the same as all-purpose flour. 
• I used salted butter you can use unsalted as well. Adjust the salt accordingly.
• Warm the milk before adding it to the roux which aids the mixing to be uniform with no lumps.
• This acts the base for your White sauce pasta, which is non spicy, kids most favourite pasta
• I added ¼ tsp dry oregano, ¼ tsp dry parsley, ¼ tsp dry thyme, ¼ tsp dry basil, all put together a tsp of mix herbs. You can stick to one type of herb as well but add one tsp of it.
• Similarly, I added parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. If one cheese is not available, go with the other one. Or you can skip both kinds of cheese and make it optional.
• Cook the entire process of sauce in medium and low flame to achieve the best results.
• This sauce is a base for pasta, also used as topping or dressing or dip, that makes it handy. 
• I prefer to double up the quantity when I prepare for pasta, as I can use the excess sauce for another meal of the day. 
• It has a store life for 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator. Do not use a wet spoon or ladle as moisture is a major threat.
• If the sauce has thickened too much on storage, just add milk and stir it well on low to medium flame till it reaches your desired consistency. Adjust the salt after adding milk.