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Image featuring a creamy, smooth bread sauce recipe with two close-up food photos: a bowl of homemade bread sauce and a spoon lifting its rich, velvety texture. Center text reads “Bread Sauce Recipe: Creamy, Smooth and Make Ahead,” highlighting an easy, make-ahead side dish for roast dinners and Christmas meals.
Nancy Wilson

Bread Sauce Recipe

5 from 3 votes
A smooth, creamy British bread sauce made by infusing milk with onion, cloves and bay, then thickening it with soft white breadcrumbs. Serves 8 and can be made ahead.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Infusting 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Calories: 161
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the infused milk
  • 600 ml whole milk
  • 1 medium onion halved
  • 6 whole cloves pushed into the onion halves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
For the sauce
  • 110 g day-old white bread crusts removed and blitzed into fine crumbs
  • 50 g unsalted butter divided into two equal portions
  • 4 tbsp double cream
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan (about 2 litres)
  • Food processor or box grater
  • Sieve or slotted spoon
  • Wooden spoon or whisk
  • Heatproof serving jug
  • Stick blender (optional, for lumps)

Method
 

  1. Make crumbs. Cut the crusts off the bread. Blitz it in a food processor until fine, then weigh out 110 g.
  2. Stud onion. Push 3 cloves into each onion half.
  3. Heat milk. Put the milk, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt in a medium saucepan. Warm over a medium heat until the milk just starts to simmer.
  4. Infuse milk. Take the pan off the heat, cover and leave for 1 hour. Leave for up to 2 hours for a stronger flavour.
  5. Strain. Lift out the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns.
  6. Add crumbs. Put the pan on a low heat. Stir in the crumbs and half the butter (25 g).
  7. Cook gently. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the crumbs have broken down and a spoon leaves a slow trail.
  8. Finish sauce. Stir in the cream and the remaining 25 g butter. Add the nutmeg. Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of milk if too thick.
  9. Serve warm. Pour into a warm jug. Serve straight away, or cover and keep warm off the heat until needed.

Notes

  • No oven is needed, so there is no fan or gas mark conversion. Use a medium heat to bring the milk to a simmer, then a low heat for the crumbs.
  • Use a pan about three times the volume of the milk (2 litres for 600 ml) so it doesn’t boil over.
  • Timing cue: the sauce is ready when the crumbs have fully broken down, there are no dry specks, and a spoon leaves a slow trail. It thickens as it stands, so stop slightly loose.
  • Key tip: fix a lumpy sauce with a whisk, or a few seconds with a stick blender and a splash of milk.
  • Storing: cool within 2 hours, cover and chill for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of milk until steaming hot.
  • Freezing: freeze before adding the cream, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, use within 24 hours, and add the cream when reheating.