Lumpy Roux, Help!

Ok I've been struggling with this for a while now. I'd left it last year after many attempts as it was doing my head in, but today I thought I'd try to make Mac N Cheese and lo and behold me roux was lumpy! Arrrghhhhh!

So people, where am I going wrong? I add the flour gradually to the butter but it just never comes together. Instead I end up with lots of tiny little lumps of flour and butter, then when I add the milk the sauce just ends up lumpy too.

Any tips? I will conquer this bloody roux business if it's the last thing I do!

The way I do it seems to work and I don't have lumps. The way I do it - I melt the better in the pan and then add the flour, I don't worry too much about how I add the flour and butter together at this stage. Once that is all mixed in together, with the heat still on, I add the milk bit by bit and whisk it as I go along until it is of the consistency I want. It will seem lumpy at first but it smooths out as the milk goes in. It works everytime (well for me anyway). Do you use plain flour or cornflour? I find it easier (lumpwise) to use plain flour. I hope this makes sense. I do think that there is an element of luck involved too mind!

A friend of mine said she did it like that too, whisking out the lumps as the milk goes in. So today I melted the butter and then lobbed all the plain flour in, which promptly turned lumpy! I stirred the the milk in and it just stayed lumpy. That said, perhaps I shouldn't have just shot all the flour in at once? Also I didn't use a whisk so will give that a try. It's really driving me nuts, like it's challenging me!

Thanks for the help.

I know what you mean about challenging, I am like that too when things like this niggle at me, Persevere and let me know how you get on!!

the way i make cheese sause is put milk in the pan on a low heat ad a tablespoon of plain flour and whisk it until its creamyish then i grate cheese into the mixture just to thicken it up if to thick ad milk i also put basil and black pepper in to its yummmmm i do this for my lasagne also

I will! I have a feeling I'm going to get through a lot of butter, flour and milk next month!
Thanks for that, will give it a try.

Think you are meant to remove from the heat, whist adding te flour and then the milk, only return the pan to the heat once milk is whisked in

Yes, you are right about that! I just realised I wrote it wrong, I had meant to delete that bit before posting

Now I understood it as you needed to heat all of the flour out of the butter/flour mix and then take the pan off the heat whilst adding the milk?

Oh there's gonna be soooooo much dairy produce wasted in this house these coming weeks!

i never do its always a nice cream substance when its done damn tasty to