Béchamel sauce

Béchamel sauce
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
10 to 30 mins
Serve
Makes 425ml/¾ pint

Delia' shows you how to make béchamel sauce, using a mixture of butter and flour called a roux. A béchamel sauce is one of the French "mother sauces" and is a really good one to learn.

This recipe provides 640 kcal, 16g protein, 34g carbohydrates (of which 19g sugars), 48g fat (of which 31g saturates), 1g fibre and 2.2g salt.

By Delia Smith

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Ingredients

Recipe tips
How-to videos

Method

  1. First pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the parsley stalks, bay leaf, mace (if using), peppercorns and onion slice. Place it over a low heat and let it come very slowly up to simmering point, this will take approximately 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the milk into a jug, discarding the flavourings.

  2. All this can be done ahead of time, but when you want to make the sauce, use the same washed pan and place it over a gentle heat. Begin by melting the butter gently – don't over-heat it or let it brown, as this will affect the colour and flavour of the sauce. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour and, over a medium heat and using a wooden spoon, stir quite vigorously to make a smooth, glossy paste. Now begin adding the infused milk a little at a time – about 25ml/1fl oz first of all and stir again vigorously. Then, when this milk is incorporated, add the next amount and continue incorporating each bit of liquid before you add the next. When about half the milk is in, switch to a balloon whisk and start adding large amounts of milk, but always whisking briskly. Your reward will be a smooth, glossy, creamy sauce.

  3. Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, whisking from time to time. While that's happening, taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe tips

The flavouring in the milk makes the sauce very aromatic and distinguishes this sauce from a plain white sauce, which might have cheese or other flavourings added to it.

To keep the sauce warm, pour it into a warmed jug and cover the surface with clingfilm to stop a skin from forming, then place the jug in a pan of barely simmering water.

If you find lumps in your sauce, it's probably because you've added too much milk too early. To fix it, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk vigorously until the lumps are gone. Return to the heat and continue adding the milk as per the recipe. Don't be tempted to add more milk to a lumpy sauce, it only makes it harder to remove the lumps. You can also pass the lumpy sauce through a fine sieve but that's quite a messy process.

To make a gluten-free béchamel sauce, use a gluten-free plain flour blend but increase the amount of flour to 40g/1½oz.

To make the sauce dairy free, you can use a non-dairy milk and butter, but it will change the flavour. For best results, we recommend using a 'vegan butter' which is sold in blocks and a neutral tasting non-dairy milk such as soy milk.

Making ahead and freezing

If making the sauce ahead, cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Whisk well as the sauce is reheated and add an extra splash of milk if it has thickened up on cooling.

Béchamel sauce freezes well in an air-tight container and can be stored for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or partly defrost at room temperature for a couple of hours before reheating. Bring to a gentle simmer in a large saucepan, or reheat in the microwave, until piping hot. You’ll need to add an extra splash of water or milk when you reheat the sauce and make sure you whisk regularly to prevent any lumps. (Use a silicone covered whisk if reheating in a non-stick pan.)