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!
Why you will love this recipe
Vegetarian and can easily be made vegan Easy to find ingredients Can be made ahead Easy to make gluten-free by using GF bread
Bread Sauce 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 alternatives to a turkey or chicken centrepiece. 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
Poppadom Dips Yogurt Sauce Basil Sauce As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Note – 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
