Gravy is not just flour and water as gravy requires a source of fat, a liquid which can be water or broth or meat drippings and seasonings.
Flour acts as a thickener for the other ingredients in gravy.
Making gravy requires making a roux of fat such as butter, bacon grease, sausage grease etc and flour that is simmered in a pan, which also removes the raw flour taste.
The key ingredients in gravy are flour, which is used as a thickening agent, fat such as melted butter or oil that is commonly used to form a paste with the flour also called a roux and liquid which can be meat drippings from broth, stock, roasted meat or water and seasonings such as salt, pepper and other spices are added for flavor.
The basic process of making gravy is to heat butter, oil or other fat in a saucepan, then create a roux or slurry by stirring in the flour into the melted fat until it forms a paste.
Then gradually whisk in the liquid, whether it's broth, meat drippings or water and then continue to cook and stir the mixture until it thickens and simmers to eliminate the raw flour taste and then you can add the seasonings.
You can make gravy taste better by adding umami rich ingredients such as soy sauce, bit of miso paste or Worcestershire sauce.
You can also make gravy more tasty and enhance the depth using sauteed aromatics like mushrooms or onions and simmer the gravy with some fresh herbs like thyme or sage or add a drizzle of brown butter or a knob of butter.
Adding some Dijon mustard also works great for adding some additional flavor to gravy.
The secret to making good gravy is to use pan drippings and a roux which is fat and flour for thickening and then add depth to the gravy with umami rich ingredients like Soy Sauce Worcestershire sauce or Marmite/yeast extract.
Also using both beef stock cubes and chicken stock cubes can also enhance the gravy's flavor and color and adding fresh herbs or some lemon juice can also add a final brightness to your gravy.
The seasoning to add to gravy is black pepper, salt, rosemary, dried thyme, garlic powder and onion powder.
Fresh herbs like thyme and sage can enhance the flavor of your gravy and if you want a richer umami flavor in your gravy and a darker color you can add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or a bit of red wine.
And you can also add some sauteed aromatics to your gravy like sauteed mushrooms, sauteed leeks or sauteed leeks, which can give the gravy a more complex and deeper taste.
When making gravy you simmer the gravy for 3 minutes to 4 minutes after the gravy reaches a boil to allow the cornstarch or flour to thicken properly and to cook out any raw flavor.
The desired thickness also factors into the exact simmering time of the gray, continue simmering the gravy if it's too thin or add some more stock to thin the gravy if the gravy becomes too thicken.
To know when your gravy is done you can do the spoon test by taking a spoon and dipping the spoon into the simmering gravy and then hold the spoon horizontally, with the gravy coating the back of it.
Then carefully draw your finger across the back of the spoon and create a path through the gravy, and if the line remains clear and the gravy doesn't run back to cover it, the gravy is done and has reach the correct consistency.
But if the gravy flows back together immediately or looks messy, it is too runny and needs to cook longer to thicken.
Other signs that gravy is done is that it has no raw flour taste and has a consistent texture and not too thin or watery.
When making gravy you add cold water to a thickener such as flour or cornstarch, which creates a smooth slurry and then add the slurry to the hot liquid to make gravy.
If you use hot water when making gravy it will cause the thickener to clump and create lumps in the gravy.
In a separate bowl, mix the desired amount of flour or cornstarch with cold water to form a smooth and lump free slurry and slowly whisk the cold slurry into the hot drippings or broth and then continue whisking the gravy over heat until the gravy thickens to the desired consistency.
When making gravy you add the flour first and then gradually add the milk and stir continuously as you gradually add in the milk until the gravy thickens up and comes to a boil.
To make gravy, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat, then whisk in flour and whisk constantly for around 1 minute.
Then slowly add in the milk and whisk constantly and stir in pepper and salt and continue cooking.
Common gravy thickening mistakes are adding thickeners to a cold or lukewarm sauce, not simmering long enough for proper thickening and adding too much thickener or liquid.
These common gravy thickening mistakes can cause lumps and also a paste like texture.
Other common gravy thickening mistakes are overcooking the gravy which can result in a gummy and overly dense consistency, and cooling can make a pourable gravy too thick.
Gravy thickens as it cools, so a gravy which seems perfectly and easily pourable when it's hot can get to thick as it cools down.
Simmering the gravy too long can reduce the liquid too much and result in a thick and sticky gravy and too much thickener in the gravy can result in a heavy and dense or paste like consistency.
Adding roux to your gravy also makes it thicker and makes it taste better as well.
A roux is a mixture of some flour and fat such as butter or bacon grease and is commonly used in making good gravy.
The amount of roux for 4 cups of gravy is 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of fat and 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of flour, so that the roux can achieve a heavy bodied consistency with 4 cups of liquid.
You can use butter for the fat or even animal fats like bacon grease, bacon grease makes the roux much better and the resulting gravy or dish taste better as well.
The 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of fat and 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of flour ration provides 2 tablespoons of fat and 2 tablespoons of flour for each cup of liquid and is a common starting point when making thick gravy.
A roux is made from equal parts of flour and fat and it goes by weight.
The equal parts of flour and fat that are used to make roux are measured by weight.
The roux is made by mixing equal parts of fat and equal parts of flour and then the flour and fat are mixed together and cooked together to form a paste which acts as a thickening agent for gravy, sauces, soups etc.
Common fats that are used when making roux are butter, vegetable oil and animal fats like bacon grease or even a combination of these fats.
The cooking time for the roux will also determine the roux's color and flavor, which can range from dark brown to a light blonde color.
The longer the roux is cooked, the darker the roux becomes, changing it's flavor from neutral to nutty and rich and losing some of it's thickening power.
When the flour is cooked in fat, the fat coats the starch granules and prevents lumps when the roux is added to liquid, which results in a smooth and thick sauce.
The cooking process also eliminates the taste of raw flour and creates a nutty or smoky flavor.
The point of a roux is to use it as thickening agent and flavor base for dishes like gravies, sauces, stews and soups.
The best flour for a roux is all purpose flour because it's readily available and works well in roux.
You can also use other white wheat flours, such as bread flour or cake flour, cake flour is high in starch and less gluten.
You should also not use self rising flour as it contains leavening agents which can scorch and for gluten free flour options for roux you can use a high quality, finely milled all purpose flour.