The bechamel sauce is one of the most famous sauces in the Italian culinary tradition. It is even considered the mother sauce because many other sauces derive from it.
Some claim that bechamel has French origins. However, this delicate and creamy sauce has entirely Italian origins.
It was born in Tuscany, better known as “glue sauce.” Pellegrino Artusi, a famous gastronomic writer, called it “balsamella.”
It was a more delicate and lighter version than the French one, where it was subsequently introduced. Bechamel sauce is widespread almost everywhere.
For example, in the Anglo-Saxon world, it is called “white sauce.” Over the centuries it went from being called “glue sauce” to “basamella” and eventually to the current “bechamel.”
There are three fundamental ingredients for preparing this sauce: flour, whole milk, and butter. Depending on the amounts of these ingredients and the cooking time, a different consistency will be achieved.
Usually, the correct proportion of the ingredients is 1 to 10. For example, 100 grams of milk, 10 of butter, and 10 of flour.
Bechamel is obtained by first preparing a white roux from melted butter and flour. Once a kind of cream is obtained, COLD milk is poured in and then everything is cooked over low heat.
It is possible to prepare it with olive oil instead of butter. In this case, the consistency will be less creamy and more fluid because oil is less thickening than butter.
Bechamel is a key ingredient in several typical recipes. No lasagna would be complete without this sauce. Or baked pasta, crepes, cannelloni, or gratinated vegetables.
Making it at home is really simple and quick. It is flavored with nutmeg and pepper and is ready in about 10 minutes!
It keeps in the fridge for about two days, strictly covered with film. Or it can be put in a container and frozen.
With the 1 to 10 proportion, you get a soft but not too much consistency. If you want a more fluid sauce, decrease the amount of butter and flour, and vice versa. For a thicker version, you can extend the cooking time to the desired consistency.
But let’s now see how to prepare homemade bechamel.
I’ll also leave you some tasty recipes to use your bechamel:
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 1 Minute
- Portions: about 500 grams of bechamel
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups whole milk (preferably fresh)
- 3 1/2 oz butter (or olive oil)
- 3 1/2 oz all-purpose flour
- as needed nutmeg (only if desired)
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
- 1 quart whole milk (fresh)
- 7 oz butter
- 7 oz all-purpose flour
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
- as needed nutmeg
Tools
- Saucepan
- Hand Whisk
Steps
Take a large saucepan and put the butter inside.
Those who wish can replace it with olive oil to be poured into the saucepan.
Melt the butter (or heat the oil) over low heat without burning it.
Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour little by little.
With a hand whisk, stir vigorously to prevent lumps from forming.
You will obtain a kind of cream of a light brown color, called white roux.
Pour a few tablespoons of COLD whole milk inside and mix quickly.
Add the remaining cold milk and place the saucepan over medium heat.
Adjust with salt and pepper and, if desired, a pinch of nutmeg.
Continue cooking the bechamel for about 10 minutes.
Stir continuously with a hand whisk, as when preparing cream.
As soon as the sauce reaches the desired consistency, turn off the heat.
Once ready, the bechamel should be immediately covered with plastic wrap.
This will prevent a film from forming on the surface.
The bechamel is ready to be used!
Easy, quick, and very creamy, perfect for preparing many tasty recipes!
Those who want to prepare a completely lactose-free bechamel sauce will replace the butter with olive oil and the whole milk with plant-based milk.
For filling cannelloni, lasagnas, and stuffed pastas, a thicker consistency is preferable.
If used to accompany meats or cover vegetables for gratinating, it is better to have a more fluid consistency.
In this case, simply “thin” the bechamel with a bit of whole milk, put it back on the stove, and mix.
