No. 579

Kneaded Butter

Beurre Manie

Kneaded butter is frequently used at the last moment to thicken sauces and cooked small vegetables. In order to prepare this auxillary, it is necessary to lay a piece of butter on a plate or in a small vessel, and incorporate into it slowly with a wooden spoon, a sufficient quantity of flour to form a smooth paste, but not too consistent, so that it can easily be dissolved by the heat.

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For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer gives no quantities at all, which is normal for a kitchen auxiliary but unhelpful at home. The working ratio and the way it goes into the pan are the only two things that matter.

RatioEqual weights of soft butter and flour is the standard, worked to a smooth paste. Ranhofer's "not too consistent" means it should be soft enough to smear off a spoon; if it is stiff enough to roll into a ball it will sit in the sauce as a lump.
Butter temperatureUse butter at cool room temperature, around 65F. Melted butter will not hold the flour in suspension and the paste will separate.
How much to useRoughly 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour will lightly thicken 2 cups of liquid. Add it in small pieces, off the boil, whisking each in fully before judging whether more is needed.
The hingeThe sauce should be hot but not at a hard boil when the paste goes in, and it is usual to bring it back to a bare simmer briefly afterwards so the flour loses its raw taste. Add it in small pieces off the boil and whisk each in fully before judging whether more is needed.
Not a rouxThe flour here is never cooked in the fat beforehand, so this thickens without colour or nuttiness. That is why it suits use at the last moment, as Ranhofer says.
Keeping itIt holds a week refrigerated and freezes well. Roll the paste into a log in parchment, chill, and cut off coins as needed.
On vegetablesFor the "cooked small vegetables" of the original, drain them, return to the pan with a coin of the paste and a spoonful of their cooking water, and swirl over low heat until glossy.

A Little History

Beurre mani e"kneaded butter," and the name describes the whole method: butter and flour worked together cold by hand or spoon rather than cooked together in a pan. Charles Ranhofer, chef of Delmonico's in New York, published The Epicurean in 1894 as a full account of a French professional kitchen operating in America, and it includes numbered sections of "auxiliaries" -- compound butters, essences, glazes. Kneaded butter belongs to the older French tradition of flour-thickened sauces, and it survived because nothing else corrects a thin sauce as quickly or as invisibly at the moment of service.

2026 Editor's Note: While this recipe describes kneaded butter as a thickening agent, modern culinary practice distinguishes it from a roux by the fact that it is not cooked before use. The mixture, known as beurre manié, must be whisked into hot liquid to release the flour particles without creating lumps. Chefs typically cook the resulting sauce further to ensure it does not taste of uncooked flour. (Ed: GG 2026-08-04)