British Bread Sauce is the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas dinner. As the name suggests, it is a traditional sauce made with bread, milk and warm winter spices!
The basic bread sauce recipe is to infuse the milk with flavour, add breadcrumbs and cook until the sauce thickens. It is then finished off with butter and cream.
This delicious bread sauce is infused with all the wonderful flavours of Christmas - nutmeg, bay leaf and clove. Thanks to the butter and cream, it is deliciously rich and creamy.
I love it at Christmas with a vegetarian roast and oven roasted potatoes!
Ingredients
White bread - one-day old white bread slices with crusts removed to make white breadcrumbs
Full fat milk
Cream - I've used single cream but you can use double cream too
Butter - I have used unsalted.
Onion - peeled, left whole
Cloves
Whole black peppercorns
Bay leaf
Freshly grated nutmeg - you can use nutmeg powder as an alternative
Salt to taste
Make it vegan
It is an easy switch to make vegan bread sauce. Use vegan butter instead of the regular butter.
For the milk, go for oat milk which is creamy and doesn't impart too much of its own flavour. Soy milk is another alternative. Plant based creams can be used too.
If serving to guests, check for allergies or intolerances to plant based milks.
How to make Bread Sauce
1.Firstly stud the onion with the cloves.
2.In a saucepan, pour milk and add the clove-studded onion, whole black pepper, and bay leaf.
3.On medium heat, bring the mixture to the boil, stir occasionally to prevent the milk sticking at the bottom.
4.Turn off the heat and cover the pan with the lid and let the milk infuse for an hour.
5.Meanwhile, make bread crumbs in a mixer or food processor. You can also tear the bread up into small pieces.
6.After an hour, remove the onion, peppercorns and bay leaf.
7.Add breadcrumbs to the infused milk and add little butter.
8.Return the saucepan to heat and keep stirring to prevent burning at the bottom
9.Once the sauce gets thicker turn off the heat, add cream and remaining butter.
10.Serve the sauce in a serving bowl or jug and sprinkle the sauce with the freshly grated nutmeg.
Different ways to infuse the milk
You can infuse the milk on the hob or warm it in a microwave. Use a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk in bursts to prevent it bubbling over. Heat until it is warm through.
Add the studded onion, clove, bay leaf and nutmeg and allow to sit for 1 hour.
Personally, I think it is easier to use the stove - why give yourself extra washing up to do!
Pro Tips
Do not use fresh bread which can become mushy when added to bread sauce. Use day old bread for best results.
Instead of bread slices, you can use store-bought or homemade bread crumbs.
Use whole milk or full fat milk where possible as semi skimmed milk takes longer to thicken and will likely need more bread.
Use fresh ingredients where possible - for example, freshly grated nutmeg is miles better than the powdered version! Apart from the bread of course - which should be stale
If preparing in advance, ensure the milk and cream has plenty of use-by date left on it
Add the bread little by little as the sauce thickens fast - you may not need all of the bread
You may need to add more milk if serving later - the bread sauce thickens up pretty quickly
If the sauce is not thickening, add more breadcrumbs.
Ensure to stir the sauce to prevent burning.
Serving Suggestion
There are so many vegan (external link) and vegetarian centrepieces. My favourite is this paneer and cranberry nut roast.
For sides, go for veggies such as Air Fryer Parsnips, roasted carrots and brussels sprouts
I love to dip in these Parmentier Potatoes.
Alongside bread sauce, I always serve this Instant Pot cranberry sauce.
For a creamy side that uses cream or cheese, try these Cardamom Dauphinoise Potatoes or Christmas Corn.
Storage
Store leftover bread sauce in the fridge where it will keep fresh for around 2-3 days.
You can also prepare bread sauce ahead of time and freeze for convenience. Allow the bread sauce to cool completely and place in a freezer safe container or freezer bags. Freeze for up to 1 month. To defrost, thaw overnight in the fridge or defrost in the microwave. Reheat gently on the stove.
Other Sauce Recipes
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Bread Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 slices white bread stale, crusts removed
- 300 millilitres whole milk
- 25 millilitres cream
- 20 gram butter
- 1 onion whole white onion, peeled
- 6-8 cloves
- 8-10 black peppercorn
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch ground nutmeg freshly grated is best
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Firstly, stud the onion with the cloves.
- In a saucepan, pour milk and add the studded onion, whole black pepper and bay leaf.
- On medium heat, bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Turn off the heat and cover the pan with the lid and let the milk infuse for an hour or simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make bread crumbs in a mixer or food processor.
- Once infused, remove the onion, peppercorns and bay leaf.
- Add breadcrumbs to the infused milk and add half the butter.
- Return the saucepan to heat and keep stirring
- Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat, add salt, cream and the remaining butter.
- Serve the sauce in a serving bowl or jug and sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Share on Facebook Pin This RecipeNote – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in December 2017.
Recipe inspiration - Delia Online
Patricia says
I have never heard of British bread sauce, but you have me intrigued! What a wonderful dish to serve guests. I can see myself making this and putting it out at brunch. It is the perfect compliment to a warm loaf of bread, especially homemade.
cookingwithsapana says
The bread sauce looks so happening through your pictures. Indeed a handy tool for kitchen.
Avin says
It's a really cool device to own😊😊
Tha sauce looks really creamy😊👍
Mayuri Patel says
And I thought no one these days makes bread sauce! I love the nifty tool... already on my shopping list for when I visit UK next.
Freda says
I'd like to have a gadget like that! The bread sauce looks lovely 🙂
Unknown says
What a cool utensil!! I've never heard of stirr but as a fellow food blogger, this would definitely come in handy. I'll look them up, thanks! The bread sauce looks amazing - PINNED!
jcookingodyssey says
Hope you can find this.
Indfused says
I love kitchen appliances and gadgets too Jagruti and this looks so handy! The bread sauce looks delicious!
jcookingodyssey says
It is very useful 🙂
www.annapurnaz.in says
Wow! This can make my phirni making process so easier
jcookingodyssey says
You can make so many Indian dishes.
Side Street Style says
Oh wow this stirrer looks amazing and the perfect way to get lump free sauce, also that sauce looks and sounds so good
Laura x
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you Laura, it's a small tool but works amazing.
Simplyfood says
This is a nifty gadget and I have one that I use when making kadhi so that I have hands free to other tasks.
jcookingodyssey says
So useful for Indian cooking too.
Sandhya Hariharan says
That looks like a super innovative gadget... And I am loving the Bread Sauce for Christmas.
jcookingodyssey says
Indeed and I am loving it.
jayashree says
Gadgets make cooking faster. This one seems to be a handy one.
jcookingodyssey says
Absolutely Jaya.