Easy bread sauce recipe! No cream needed, this velvety sauce is just one of many traditional Great British side dishes usually served with a turkey Christmas dinner.
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*Post updated November 2024
What is bread sauce made from?
The basic recipe consists of slightly stale bread, milk and breadcrumbs.
A whole onion is studded with cloves, bay leaf and a few whole black peppercorns, but they're only used to infuse flavour into the milk and are discarded before finishing the sauce.
Butter is added as a thickener. The sauce is seasoned with nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
Homemade bread sauce
Traditional bread sauce is just one of many Great British sauces.
Bread sauce is the simplest thing to make, and I've no idea why so many people buy it ready-made. Or, worse of all, make it from a packet mix. 😐
Top tips for making the best bread sauce
Whilst this recipe is quick, infusing the milk with the onion, cloves, and bay leaf is the most important step in building flavour, so don’t skip this step; take your time.
Don't use store-bought fresh breadcrumbs, you know the dried kind, because they are too finely ground and won't create the proper texture for bread sauce.
If you’re making your own breadcrumbs, only use white bread.
Slightly stale bread is best as it will create a better texture in the sauce; using fresh bread will result in mush. 😨
Whole milk (full fat) is best for a richer, velvety sauce.
Can you freeze bread sauce?
You can freeze bread sauce, although I've never tried it.
I think it's best to make it up to four days ahead and store it in the fridge.
Ingredients
- whole onion
- cloves
- bay leaf
- black peppercorns
- whole milk (full-fat)
- fresh white breadcrumbs
- unsalted butter
- nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make ahead
You can make this a day or two ahead, so there really is no excuse for buying ready-made!
All you need to do is make the sauce a little looser than normal, as it will thicken further when reheated.
Reheat in a saucepan over the hob or a bowl in the microwave.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
How to Make Bread Sauce
Bread sauce is traditionally served as a side dish with Christmas or New Year's Day dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 large brown onion - peeled and left whole
- 6 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns
- 570ml/1 pint full-fat milk (whole milk)
- 110g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 40g/1½oz unsalted butter
- a pinch of nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Stud the onion all over with the cloves, then place it into a saucepan with the bay leaf, peppercorns and milk.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and leave the milk to infuse for an hour, or more, until you're ready to finish the sauce. Don't skip this step!
- Remove the clove-studded onion, bay leaf and peppercorns and discard them.
- Stir in the breadcrumbs a little at a time.
- Return the pan to the heat and cook very gently for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the breadcrumbs have absorbed all the liquid and the sauce is the desired consistency.
- Stir in the butter and nutmeg. Season to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can add a little more milk if your sauce is too thick.
Notes
If you're making this a day or two before you want to eat it, make the sauce a little looser than normal as it will thicken further when reheated. Reheat in a saucepan over the hob or a bowl in the microwave.
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