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White Sauce in a saucepan
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5 from 1 vote

White Sauce

White Sauce (or Bechemal Sauce) is the basis of many other dishes. This method is virtually foolproof
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Basic recipe
Cuisine: British
Servings: 6 Servings
Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

Ingredients

  • 1 litre milk full-cream is best
  • 100 g butter
  • 100 g plain/all-purpose flour see note
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Heat the milk in a microwave or saucepan

For the White Sauce:

  • Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  • Add the flour, stir in, and cook for 1-2 minutes. This is the basis of the sauce called a roux
  • Add about a quarter of the milk and stir well as it all starts to bubble. As it begins to bubble the mixture will come together
  • Once you have a solid mixture add the next quarter-litre of milk and repeat. The mixture will still be quite solid
  • Repeat with the third quarter-litre of milk. By now the sauce will be less solid
  • If it's lumpy, use a stick blender or silicone whisk to smooth it out
  • Repeat step 5 with the last quarter-litre of milk. You will now have a beautiful White Sauce - or Bechamel Sauce
  • Add salt and pepper to taste. If you are making a cheese sauce, wait until the cheese is in before adding salt (some cheese is salty).

Notes

Flour: You could use wholemeal flour to add some fibre. It changes the colour, but my family never noticed (or commented, anyway).