Step 1

Warm the milk: Warm the milk in a separate saucepan or in the microwave until warm to the touch and set aside.

Step 2

Melt the butter: Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat, but do not let it brown.

Step 3

Add the flour: Add the flour and stir it quickly into the butter with a wooden spoon. As you can see in the photo, the butter and flour will be a mixture that looks like wet scrambled eggs at first.

Step 4

Cook the roux: Cook and stir the flour-butter mixture about 5 to 8 minutes. The butter and flour will dry out slightly and turn just a bit darker to a more golden color. Do not let it brown or darken; we are creating a "blond" or golden roux, where the flour has just been cooked.

Step 5

Add a few tablespoons of warm milk: Pour in just a few tablespoons of the hot milk, just enough to moisten the flour and butter mixture. Stir thoroughly to loosen up the thick flour mixture.

Step 6

Add the remaining milk and whisk: Now grab the whisk and gradually add the rest of the milk to the loosened flour mixture while whisking constantly. Whisk vigorously until smooth!

Step 7

Cook until thickened: Cook, stirring constantly, until starting to bubble and thicken. You will be left with a thick, warm, creamy mix of flour, butter, and milk. From here, you can add cheese, salt, and pepper to create a sauce for mac 'n' cheese, or the base for a soufflé.