Time: 2 1/2-3 hrs

Yields: about 13 cups of roux

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups flour
• 8 cups vegetable oil
• Optional: one yellow onion for extra flavor

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a Dutch oven, or thick-bottomed pot, combine the flour and oil.

3. Stir until you’ve broken up most of the flour clumps.

4. Put it in the preheated oven, and set a timer for every 10 minutes.

5. Take it out and stir every 10 minutes.  (This is important because the flour will start to settle at the bottom of the pot, and it needs to be mixed back in.)

6. Repeat this process until you achieve the color you desire. (It should be a chocolate color: milk chocolate for a lighter roux, and dark chocolate for a nutty, earthy flavor.)

7. Once it’s done cooking, you can add a diced onion for extra flavor if you desire.

NOTES:

-This roux won’t thicken your dish as much as one with more flour would; however, we still use it as a base for our stews, gravies, and gumbo. We especially rely on it to add flavor to our dishes.

-If you want a thickening roux, you need a larger flour to oil ratio.

– A lighter roux means the flavor won’t be as strong, and a darker roux means you’ll have a richer flavor.

-We cooked this roux for 2 hrs 40 mins to achieve the color you can see in the video.

-Sometimes during the cooking process, the roux can get foamy. This is normal; just stir and put it back in the oven.

-You can add a diced onion for extra flavor once it’s done cooking. However, if you’re going to use this roux for a dish that doesn’t require onions, I recommend leaving the onion out.