mohamed shili This Beautiful bread sauce recipe is a creamy and classic recipe, which is made with a whole onion and aromatic cloves. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a Sunday roast, ready in about 35 minutes.
Beautiful bread sauce Ingredients
A simple, traditional list for the ultimate British comfort sauce.
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 700ml whole milk
- 2 loaves of ready-to-bake ciabatta (or about 300-400g stale white bread)
- 30g unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons double cream
- 1 whole nutmeg, for grating
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Beautiful bread sauce
A step-by-step guide to this classic and creamy British sauce.
- Infuse the Milk: Peel the onion but leave it whole, then spike it by pushing the cloves into it. Place the spiked onion in a medium saucepan with the bay leaves, milk, and a few pinches of sea salt and black pepper. Finely grate in a few scrapings of fresh nutmeg. Bring the milk to a boil over a high heat—watching it carefully—then immediately reduce to a low heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it stand for 15 minutes for the flavors to infuse.
- Prepare the Breadcrumbs: While the milk is infusing, cut the crusts off the ciabatta loaves. Tear about one and a half of the loaves into chunks and pulse them in a food processor until you have coarse breadcrumbs.
- Thicken the Sauce: Strain the infused milk through a sieve into a jug, discarding the onion, cloves, and bay leaves. Return the milk to the saucepan and bring it back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and gradually stir in the breadcrumbs until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Finish and Serve: Stir in the butter and double cream. Taste the sauce and season with a little more salt and pepper if needed. Check the consistency; if it’s too runny, you can blitz the remaining ciabatta and add more breadcrumbs. If it’s too thick, stir in a splash more milk. Transfer to a jug or bowl and serve warm.
Recipe Tips
For the perfect, creamy bread sauce every time.
- How to get the smoothest bread sauce? For a super-smooth, restaurant-quality sauce, use a food processor to create very fine breadcrumbs. After simmering, you can also pass the finished sauce through a sieve or give it a quick blitz with a stick blender.
- Can I make this ahead of time? Yes, bread sauce is a perfect make-ahead dish for a big roast dinner! It will thicken considerably as it cools, so make it slightly looser than you’d like. Let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently in a saucepan, adding a splash of milk to bring it back to your desired consistency.
- What’s the best bread to use? A good quality white bread that is a day or two old is perfect. The recipe’s suggestion of ready-to-bake ciabatta works well because its open texture creates light crumbs. Any good stale white loaf will do.
- Can I use a different milk? Whole milk is traditional and highly recommended for the richest, creamiest flavor. In a pinch, you can use semi-skimmed, but the final sauce will be less luxurious.
What To Serve With Beautiful bread sauce
The classic pairings for this essential British sauce.
Bread sauce is a non-negotiable part of a traditional British roast dinner. It is the perfect accompaniment for:
- Roast chicken
- Roast turkey (especially for Christmas dinner)
- Roast pheasant or other game birds
How To Store Beautiful bread sauce
Keeping your delicious sauce fresh.
- Refrigerate: Store the cooled bread sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Gently rewarm the sauce in a saucepan over a low heat, whisking in a splash of milk to loosen it to your desired consistency. Do not let it boil vigorously.
Beautiful bread sauce Nutrition Facts
An estimated guide per serving.
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Fat: 16 g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
What exactly is bread sauce?
It’s a classic, savory British sauce made from milk that has been thickened with breadcrumbs and infused with aromatics like onion, cloves, and bay leaf. It has a mild, comforting flavor and a thick, porridge-like consistency, designed to be served with roasted poultry.
Can I freeze bread sauce?
Yes, it freezes very well. Let it cool completely, then pour it into a freezer-safe container or bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating gently on the stovetop with a little extra milk.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yes. You can substitute the milk with a creamy, unsweetened plant-based milk like oat or soya milk, use a dairy-free butter alternative, and a plant-based double cream alternative to finish.
Try More Recipes:
- Yiayia Poly’s Giouvarlakia (Meatballs in Tomato Sauce) Recipe
- Sizzling Beef with Spring Onions & Black Bean Sauce Recipe
- Griddled Steak with Horseradish Sauce Recipe
Beautiful bread sauce Recipe
Course: SauceCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes25
280
kcalA classic, creamy, and comforting British bread sauce, made by infusing milk with onion, cloves, and bay, then thickening it with fresh breadcrumbs. The perfect accompaniment for roast chicken or turkey.
Ingredients
1 onion
4 cloves
2 fresh bay leaves
700ml whole milk
1½ loaves of ciabatta (or 250-300g stale white bread)
30g unsalted butter
4 tbsp double cream
Freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper
Directions
- Peel the onion and stud it with the cloves.
- In a saucepan, gently bring the milk to a simmer with the spiked onion, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Let it infuse off the heat for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, process the crustless bread into coarse breadcrumbs in a food processor.
- Strain the infused milk, discarding the aromatics. Return the milk to the pan and bring it back to a simmer.
- Gradually whisk in the breadcrumbs until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.
- Stir in the butter and double cream, and season to taste with more salt and pepper.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Infusing the milk is the key step for developing the classic, aromatic flavor of the sauce.
- This sauce will thicken as it cools, so make it slightly thinner than you’d like the final consistency to be, especially if making ahead.
- For the smoothest sauce, use very fine breadcrumbs and whisk continuously.
- Bread sauce is a traditional and essential part of a British Christmas dinner.