Bechamel sauce is one of the five classic French mother sauces. The French white sauce is used for a million different applications and recipes. A classic bechamel sauce is the combination of a roux and milk coming together in an elegant, rich and smooth creamy sauce.
Classic French Bechamel Sauce (Béchamels) can be found on just about any menu around France- from breakfast foods like eggs Benedict or Croque Monsieur sandwiches all the way up through fondue pots at dinner parties. This recipe was developed more than two centuries ago!
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History of Bechamel Sauce
Bechamel sauce is a classic French sauce made from white roux (butter and flour) and milk. It is believed to have been invented by Duke Philippe De Mornay in the 1600s and is thought to have originally been called 'Salsa Colla' in Tuscany.
The sauce was further improved by Pierre de la Varenne and was named after Marquis Louis de Béchameil de Nointel, who was King Louis XIV's maître d'hôtel.
Today, Bechamel sauce is widely used in French cuisine and is popular for its creamy texture and subtle flavor. It can be used as a base for various dishes such as macaroni and cheese, lasagna, moussaka, or even just as a topping for cooked vegetables.
Its versatility makes it a favorite among chefs and home cooks alike. Furthermore, it can be easily modified with the addition of other ingredients, such as herbs and spices for more complex flavors.
Tips For Making Bechamel Sauce
When it comes to making sauces, I feel one variable is the key to success. That being timing.
Working in the kitchen is very much like dancing, having your ingredients all laid out and ready to move when the timing is just right. Being just a little off can result in failure and having to start over.
One of the first things students learn in culinary school is timing. There is great satisfaction cooking in a kitchen, doing the dance, having all our ingredients laid out, each one measured out perfectly, just waiting to be called upon. This is called Mise en Place.
Mise en Place (MEEZ ahn Plahs) the French culinary term that means having all your ingredients measured, peeled, sliced, cut, grated, etc, before you begin cooking. This also means having your pot and pans, mixing bowls, knives, tools, etc, layout.
This area is the main reason most cooks make mistakes in the kitchen. Cooking well requires planning and thought, so when you begin; it's like you've already made your recipe and you're only repeating.
This process of thinking things through before beginning is often where you catch your mistakes before they happen. "Oh, I forgot about the Garlic" sounds obvious, but we all know we've done this many times only if we had done our Mise en Place.
What Is A Roux
Roux is a mixture of flour and a fat, often butter, coming together as one, like a paste. Acts as a thickener for sauces/soups.
Bechamel sauce in its traditional form ( meaning a number of sauces stem from Bechamel sauce) is known as a French white sauce. To create a white sauce, the beginning factor is the Roux, which needs to be a Blond Roux.
A Blond Roux is just a Roux that has been cooked but without adding any color, which would darken the sauce. High-quality butter is often golden and can impart some color, but the Roux would still constitute a Blond Roux.
How To Make Bechamel Sauce
Making Bechamel sauce is a quick and easy process. All you need is butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to create this delicious creamy sauce. Start by melting butter in a pot on low heat and adding the flour to make a thick paste.
Cook the paste until it's lightly golden in color before slowly stirring in the milk until it forms a thick sauce. Finally, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to enhance its subtle nutty flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Tablespoons High-Quality Butter
- 2 ¼ cups Whole Milk
- ½ large Onion
- 7 Cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg
How To Make a Roux
This recipe can be multiplied two or three times to meet your quantity needs. A classic Roux's is the base of a bechamel sauce and usually equals parts of flour and butter.
Our Bechamel Sauce recipe calls for 4 tablespoons Butter & 3 Tablespoons Flour
Melting the butter over medium-high heat
Add the Flour - 3 Tablespoons
Key: Cooking out the Flour - Allow the Flour to absorb the Butter and hydrate the Flour - This ensures the Bechamel sauce isn't grainy.
Incorporating the Milk
Steps
- Using medium heat to begin, cook out the flour in the roux. This means controlling the heat of the butter. Once the flour is added, it will bubble up a small amount. Allowing the flour to cook out is taking the dry raw flour away with the butter hydration.
- As soon as the roux is ready, add in ⅓ of the milk over medium-high heat and stir constantly. The sauce will start to thicken.
- Next, add the remaining milk and keep stirring. Do not leave the sauce unattended at this point.
- Reduce the heat to low, and add in the half of one large onion. Stick cloves into the onion all over; use between 7 & 10 cloves. Simmer until the flavors of clove and onion meet your recipe needs.
Classic Flavoring for Bechamel Sauce
- Nutmeg
- Onion
- Clove
Many cooks are familiar with what is called a White Sauce. But a white sauce is not a Bechamel sauce, but a Bechamel is always a White sauce.
The addition of nutmeg, onion & clove makes it a classic Bechamel sauce. Cooks often mislabel White sauces as Bechamel sauce.
Mise en place #1: Prep the onion. Cut in half, and remove the outer cover.
Prepare the cloves: Remove the tiny seed at the end of the clove. This is too strong of a flavor. The flavor will still perfume the sauce, but just the right amount with the ends removed.
For the nutmeg, if you can, use fresh nutmeg and grate it over a Microplane.
How To Use
Bechamel sauce is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes. It can be used as a base for casseroles, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, and even desserts like custards. It's also great for enhancing the flavor of soups and sauces.
When using Bechamel sauce in cooking, it's important to remember that its thick and creamy texture means it works best when added to moist dishes or added at the end of cooking time.
Variations or Alternative Methods
Bechamel sauce is a classic French sauce that can elevate any dish. Here are some alternative and delicious ways to make this creamy, flavorful sauce:
- Try using half-and-half or cream instead of milk for extra richness and decadence.
- If dairy isn’t an option, you can use vegetable broth or a non-dairy milk substitute to make a vegan version of the sauce.
- Add different herbs and spices like garlic, onion powder, thyme, oregano, basil or nutmeg for added flavor.
- Roast some peppers in the oven and blend them into the sauce for a smoky sweetness.
- Make it cheesy by stirring in Parmesan cheese before serving.
- Serve over pasta or poached eggs for a tasty meal!
How To Video
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📖 Recipe Card
Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Tablespoons High-Quality Butter
- 2 ¼ cups Whole Milk
- ½ large Onion
- 7 Cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg
Instructions
Prep
- Cut Onion in half, remove the small ball on the end of the cloves. We are only using the stems. Place 7 Clove stems in the half Onion.
Bechamel Roux
- First, melt butter over medium-high heat, then add the flour and coat all the flour in butter.
- "Cook-Out" the flour. Allow the flour to absorb the butter. This will help ensure the Bechamel sauce will not be grainy.
- Next, add in ⅓ of the Milk and stir constantly. The sauce will try to thicken. Add the remaining Milk at this point. Keep stirring. Allow the Milk to come to a soft boil. (Soft boil means the bubbles are breaking the surface, but not a full boil)
- Once at a soft boil turn off heat. The sauce will thicken. If the sauce gets too thick for your purposes add a little more Milk to thin out the sauce. Remember the heat activates the Roux and thickens.
- Add the Nutmeg, to taste. Stir and incorporate
- Add the Onion with the Cloves to the pot.
- Cover the pot for 4 to 5 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
TIPS TO MAKING BECHAMEL
- When it comes to making sauces, I feel one variable is the key to success. That would be timing. Working in the kitchen is very much like dancing, having your ingredients all laid out and ready to move when the timing is just right. Being just a little off can result in failure and having to start over.One of the first things students learn in culinary school is timing. There is great satisfaction cooking in a kitchen, doing the dance, having all our ingredients laid out, each one measured out perfectly, just waiting to be called upon. This is called Mise en Place.Mise en Place (MEEZ ahn Plahs) the French culinary term that means having all your ingredients measured, peeled, sliced, cut, grated, etc before you begin cooking. This also means having your pot and pans, mixing bowls, knives, tools, etc layout.This area is the main reason most cooks make mistakes in the kitchen. Cooking well requires planning and thought, so when you begin, it's like you've already made your recipe and you're only repeating. This process of thinking things through before beginning is often where you catch your mistakes before they happen. "Oh, I forgot about the Garlic" sounds obvious, but we all know we've done this many times. Only if we had done our Mise en Place.
MAKING THE ROUX
- This recipe can be multiplied two, three times to meet your quantity needs. A classic Roux's is the base of a bechamel sauce and is usually equals parts of flour and butter.Our Bechamel Sauce roux recipe calls for 4 tablespoons Butter & 3 Tablespoons FlourMelt the butter over medium-high heatNext, add the Flour - 3 TablespoonsKey: Cooking out the Flour - Allow the Flour to absorb the butter and hydrate the flour - This ensures the Bechamel sauce isn't grainy.
INCORPORATING THE MILK
- Steps1) Using medium heat to begin, cookout the flour in the roux. This means controlling the heat of the butter. Once the flour is added, it will bubble up a small amount. Allowing the flour to cook out is taking the dry raw flour away with the butter hydration.2) As soon as the roux is ready, add in ⅓ of the milk over medium-high heat and stir constantly. The sauce will start to thicken. Warm milk mixes best.Next, add the remaining milk and keep stirring. Do not leave the sauce unattended at this point.Reduce the heat to low, add in half of one large onion. Stick cloves into the onion all over; use between 7 & 10 cloves. Simmer until the flavors of clove and onion meet your recipe needs.
CLASSIC FLAVORING FOR BECHAMEL SAUCE
- - Nutmeg- Onion- ClovesMany cooks are familiar with what is called a White Sauce. But a white sauce is not a Bechamel sauce, but a Bechamel is always a White sauce.The addition of nutmeg, onion & clove makes it a classic Bechamel sauce. Cooks often mislabel White sauces as Bechamel sauce.Mise en place #1: Prep the onion. Cut in half, remove the outer cover. Prepare the cloves: Remove the tiny seed at the end of the clove. This is too strong of a flavor. The flavor will still perfume the sauce, but just the right amount with the ends removed.
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