My Mother-In-Law's Secret Ingredient For The Best Gravy Ever
For the past five years or so, my family has hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. It’s a potluck-style meal, with everyone bringing a dish or two to share. My mother-in-law, who flies in from out of town, even helps out. In fact, she does the heavy lifting by volunteering to cook the turkey, dressing, and gravy.
Some hosts might not like someone else commandeering the centerpiece of the meal. But I’m happy to have her deal with the turkey and trimmings. (Honestly, I’d much rather make the sides and pies anyway.)
The Secret Ingredient For Great Gravy
A week or so before the holiday, she emails me a list of ingredients she’ll need, although we’ve done this enough times now that I know them all by heart. The list will be familiar to anyone who’s ever cooked a Thanksgiving meal: a not-too-big turkey, lots of butter, fresh herbs, stock, dried bread, celery, onions, and all the other usual things. But there’s one item that many people might not pick up at the grocery store, and it’s the key to her deliciously smooth gravy: Wondra Flour.
What Is Wondra Flour?
Called a “quick mixing flour” on its label, Wondra Flour is also referred to as instant flour because it dissolves quickly in hot liquids. This finely-ground, low-protein wheat is ideal for making gravies and sauces and any dish that is made with a roux because it won’t clump and it thickens liquids so much faster than regular all-purpose flour.
More Ways To Use Wondra Flour
According to Gold Medal, which makes Wondra Flour, here are a few ways to use it:
- For baked goods like bread, cakes, and cookies. The flour’s light and airy texture is ideal for dusting a greased baking pan, especially ones with nooks and crannies, like Bundt pans.
- It can also be used in place of regular flour to batter proteins, if you are looking for a thin and crisp breading.
