Thick Béchamel Sauce
Learn how to make a thick French béchamel with butter, flour, infused milk, and cream, ideal as the creamy base for croquettes and other preparations.
🍽 6 servings
⏱ Prep: 10 min
🔥 Cook: 18 min
⏰ Total: 28 min
📊 Medium
Ingredients
- 75 g g Unsalted butter
- 75 g g All-purpose flour
- 500 ml ml Whole milk
- 50 ml ml Heavy cream
- 1/2 Onion, peeled, peeled
- 3–4 Whole cloves
- 1 small Bay leaf
- 1 small sprig Fresh thyme
- to taste Salt, to taste
- to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter over low to medium heat.
- Add the flour and stir thoroughly to create a smooth roux.
- Cook the roux gently for approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly without allowing it to brown.
- Remove the roux from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, add the whole milk to a separate saucepan with the thyme, bay leaf, and onion studded with the cloves.
- Slowly bring the milk toward a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and allow the aromatics to steep briefly.
- Strain the hot milk, removing the onion, cloves, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Gradually whisk the strained milk into the cooled roux, adding it incrementally to prevent lumps.
- Once all the milk has been incorporated, return the saucepan to medium heat and bring the béchamel to a gentle boil while stirring.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer approximately 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until substantially thickened and the raw flour flavor has cooked out.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Chef's Notes
For croquettes: Continue with the desired cheese/meat/flavoring while warm, then chill until sufficiently firm to shape. See our Thick Béchamel Sauce technique for the foundational method used in croquette-style preparations.