Cheese sauce is a classically made sauce that is useful for several popular family dishes.
When added to pasta, cheese sauce can make a macaroni cheese. When added to cauliflower, it creates cauliflower cheese.
Both dishes can be baked in the oven where the cheese will brown slightly on top giving the dish a lovely cheesy crust.
As with a standard white sauce, a cheese sauce is made from a roux, which is a paste of butter and flour that is heated to a doughy texture to cook the flour out. Milk is then gradually added to the roux to make a smooth sauce.
The sauce thickens on the heat and once it has begun to bubble, grated cheese can be added and stirred through.
The heat of the sauce melts the cheese into the sauce creating a delicious smooth glossy cheese sauce.
Sometimes we find ourselves scrambling for ingredients for a dish and don’t have everything on the ingredients list in the kitchen. If you find yourself with no plain flour for your cheese sauce, then self-raising flour can be used in its place.
There are also other options available for making a cheese sauce and so it’s likely you’ll have no problems finding a substitute that works in your home.
What Is the Best Flour for Cheese Sauce?
Traditionally, plain white flour that is used for making cheese sauce.
Cornflour can also be used, although this is better added to the heated milk rather than being used for a roux. It will still thicken the sauce and create a good cheese sauce; it just needs to be added at a slightly different stage.
Strong flour, self-raising flour, gluten free flour and wheat flour can also be used though be aware that they may change the look or taste of the dish slightly.
It is worth experimenting with different flours, so you know how each one reacts and the impact it has on the taste.
What Effect Will Using Self Raising Flour Have on Cheese Sauce?
Most of us have self-raising flour at home, so it is good to know that it can be used in a cheese sauce if plain flour isn’t available. Self-raising flour is plain flour that has baking powder added to it.
The result is that it has a slightly saltier taste than plain flour and you may find it tastes a bit different to cheese sauce made with plain flour.
Can You Make a Cheese Sauce Without Any Flour?
Flourless cheese sauce is essentially grated cheese that is melted into hot milk. The result is a smooth thick sauce that is very tasty, especially as a dip or topping for nachos.
For flourless cheese sauce to work the cheese must be a type that melts easily. A hard cheese such as parmesan won’t work as it won’t melt into the milk.
To make a flourless cheese sauce you just need to heat your milk and begin slowly adding the cheese, stirring with a whisk throughout until it is incorporated.
As there is no flour to thicken it does not need any cooking beyond the cheese melting stage and it can be served straight from the saucepan.
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