Bread Sauce

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This buttery, creamy sauce, primarily made from bread and milk, but infused with flavours from onion, cloves, bay and nutmeg, is an absolute classic accompaniment for roast turkey or goose and a must at Christmas. I neither make nor crave it the rest of the year, but a Christmas meal without it would be unconscionable!

It is not difficult to make and comes together very quickly but you do need to allow time for the flavours to infuse into the milk – minimum of 1 hour. I normally make it a day or two before Christmas, store it in the fridge or even make it and freeze it ready for the big day.

How to make Bread Sauce

When making it, do remember that you need to infuse the onion, garlic, cloves, bay, peppercorns and salt in the milk for at least an hour.

Collect all your ingredients together:

• onion, peeled and chopped
• clove of garlic, peeled
• whole cloves
• bay leaf
• black peppercorns
• fine salt
• full fat milk
• white bread
• unsalted butter
• fresh double/heavy cream
• pinch of grated nutmeg

How to make Bread Sauce:

1. Peel and slice the onion.
2. Put the onion in a saucepan with the garlic, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf and salt.
3. Add the milk and bring to the boil. As soon as it comes to the boil, take it off the heat and leave to infuse for 1 hour.
4. Make the breadcrumbs: rip or cut the bread into squares and blitz in the food processor until they are fine crumbs or your preferred texture.
5. After 1 hour, strain the milk, wash out the saucepan and return the milk to the pan.
6. Add the breadcrumbs and stir.
7. Cook over a moderate heat for around 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the breadcrumbs are swollen and the sauce has thickened.
8. Just before serving, stir in the butter, cream and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Take off the heat when it is all piping hot.
9. Serve in a heated serving bowl with a knob of butter, a drizzle of cream and some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.

If making in advance:

Make as above, up to the end of point 7. Leave to cool and either cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days or up to 1 month in the freezer. To serve, de-frost overnight in the fridge, if necessary, and reheat in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir well. Add a little milk until you reach the consistency you like. Continue from point 8.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.