Problembeginnerdraft
Sauce is lumpy or floury
Also searched as: lumps, flour lumps, lumpy béchamel, floury taste
In short: The starch on the surface before it could spread out. It tastes floury when the flour has not cooked long enough.
Picture it
Like paste that hardens outside and traps dry powder inside.
What happened in your kitchen?
Question 1
Are there visible lumps in the sauce?
All causes, by frequency
- Starch straight into hot liquid
The outside swells into a shell at once, and dry powder stays inside.
Next time: Always mix starch with cold water first · Pass through a sieve or blend
- Liquid added to the roux too fast
A lot of liquid at once does not dissolve the roux evenly.
Next time: Stir in the liquid bit by bit · A whisk instead of a spoon
- Flour cooked too briefly
Flour needs a few minutes of simmering until the raw taste is gone.
Next time: Simmer gently for another 5–10 minutes, stirring
Sources
- LibreTexts (Kansas State University): Roux and Thickening
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Saucen, Eier