Bechamel Sauce forms the base for many dishes like mac and cheese, augratin, casserole, pasta etc.This Bechamel Sauce or White Sauce is the mother sauces of the French cuisine.
Bechamel Sauce is nothing but a simple basic white sauce made with easily available ingredients in your pantry.
About Bechamel Sauce
Bechamel Sauce is a rich white sauce made with milk,butter and flour as main ingredients flavoured with herbs and spices.This sauce is made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk.
This Bechamel Sauce or White Sauce comes very handy when you don’t want to throw in cubes of cheese but still need a creamy silky texture.The remaining sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days but I always make it fresh and finish it off the day I prepare itself.
Bechamel Sauce Recipes
Bechamel Sauce Ingredients
- Milk – Use thick full cream milk preferably boiled.
- Flour – I used maida this time but have tried with wheat flour and there is no difference at all.
- Cheese – You can use cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese or even processed cheese. Cheese can’t go wrong right?! So use cheese of your liking or as per the availability.
- Spices and Herbs – I used salt, pepper, nutmeg powder
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📖 Recipe
Bechamel Sauce | White Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1/4 cup butter – Let it melt.
- Add 1/4 cup flour.
- Keep whisking until no dry flour is seen.
- Add 2 cups milk and keep whisking simultaneously to avoid lump formation.
- Keep stirring until it starts to thicken.
- Starts to thicken as you can see.
- Within few mins the sauce will start to thicken.Cook in low flame, Keep stirring. Once it starts to thicken switch to a spatula.
- The sauce will will coat the laddle like shown below.
- Add salt to taste, 1/2 tsp crushed pepper, 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder and 2 tbsp cheese.
- After adding cheese it bubbles up and becomes more creamy and thick. This white sauce is called Bechamel sauce. Bechamel sauce is ready now. Creamy, silky white sauce ready!
Video
Notes
- If you want the sauce to be a little runny you can add 1/4 cup more milk.
- This is the basic white sauce recipe, you can add spice powders or cheese as per your preference.
- The sauce keeps well in refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Bechamel Sauce Step by Step
1.Heat 1/4 cup butter – Let it melt.
2.Add 1/4 cup flour.
3.Keep whisking until no dry flour is seen.
4.Add 2 cups milk and keep whisking simultaneously to avoid lump formation.
5.Keep stirring until it starts to thicken.
6.Starts to thicken as you can see.
7.Within few mins the sauce will start to thicken.Cook in low flame, Keep stirring. Once it starts to thicken switch to a spatula.
8.The sauce will will coat the laddle like shown below.
9.Add salt to taste, 1/2 tsp crushed pepper, 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder and 2 tbsp cheese.
10.After adding cheese it bubbles up and becomes more creamy and thick. This white sauce is called Bechamel sauce. Bechamel sauce is ready now.Creamy,silky white sauce ready!
Bechamal sauce is ready!
Expert Tips
- Whisk continuously so that no lumps are formed.
- Use full fat milk fors best results.
- You can add upto 1/4 cup cheese in the sauce but I usually only little as I add more as topping while making Veg Augratin.
Variations
- You can use very little onion, garlic for extra crunch in the sauce.
- Add more indian spice powders like red chilli powder, garam masala powder for a indian twist to bechamel sauce.
Serving & Storing Suggestion
You can serve it along with toasted bread, pizza, paste, make as a filling for rolls and sandwiches.
This keeps well for a day in room temperature. As milk is there in the sauce refrigerate and use it for 2 more days but not more than that.
FAQs
1.What is Bechamel Sauce?
Bechamel Sauce is a simple basic white sauce made from a white roux (butter and flour in a 1:1 mixture). It is a traditional french sauce made from the scratch.
Source : wikipedia
2.What is Bechamel Sauce made of?
Bechamel Sauce is made using butter, flour, milk, spices and herbs.
3.How does a Bechamel sauce taste?
Bechamel Sauce tastes creamy and buttery and is a bit bland as there is no major spices added.
Ssk
The milk can be boiled with some pepper corns , bay leaves , couple of cloves and garlic pods – left for a while till the milk gets suffuced with the spices – then strained. This milk when added to the butter and flour adds more flavour to the sauce .
Also , one or two egg yolk is added finally to the sauce, when the cream thickens and before the pan is taken off the stove . The egg yolks add to the creaminess and richness of the sauce
Sharmilee J
thanks for the suggestion
Preetha
Hi Sharmi, what kind of sandwiches can be made using this white sauce? Can you please give recipe for that as well.
Sharmilee J
Give a search as white sauce sandwich, grilled aloo sandwich