This Classic Bread Sauce recipe is our favourite version of the classic British condiment, an essential accompaniment to your Christmas turkey or goose. Ready in just 30 minutes, this easy Bread Sauce recipe can also be made-ahead for easy festive entertaining.
What is Bread Sauce?
Bread Sauce is a classic British condiment made from infused milk and breadcrumbs. It's soft, rich and comforting and is traditionally served with turkey or game. It has it's roots in Medieval sauces where stale breadcrumbs were often used as a thickener, but it's so delicious it's survived until today!
Why you will love this traditional bread sauce recipe:
- It is a great way of using up leftover bread, cutting down on kitchen waste.
- Bread Sauce makes a delicious addition to a Christmas leftovers sandwich!
- You can make this Bread Sauce recipe ahead, or even freeze it so you can get going on preparations for the big festive meal early.
- This version is a little lighter than usual made without cream.
Ingredients:
Whole milk - bread sauce needs to be rich and creamy, and as this recipe does not add double cream (some do) you want to use whole milk to ensure this.
White breadcrumbs - they need to be soft made from sliced bread in a food processor, not pre-made breadcrumbs which can be too dry. Brown bread and wholemeal can also be used, but it will alter the flavour of the bread sauce.
Onion - white or brown.
Garlic
Whole cloves - you want whole cloves to infuse the milk, don't try to substitute with ground cloves.
Black peppercorns - whole, again for infusing.
Nutmeg - freshly grated whole nutmeg has the best flavour, but you can use ground nutmeg in this recipe if it's what you have to hand.
Bay Leaves - fresh or dried will work in this recipe.
Butter - salted or unsalted will work here.
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Substitutions and Variations:
Make it vegan - plant based butter (we've been a fan of SMUG since we worked with them earlier in the year) and milk will easily make this recipe vegan (as long as the bread is also dairy free!)
Make it richer and creamier - there is a lot going on on a festive table so we like this simple version of bread sauce, but if you're serving it with other game birds and there is less going on on the plate a slick of double cream will add more richness and creaminess.
Directions:
Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
ONE: Peel and quarter the onion and peel and half the garlic.
Add the milk to a saucepan with the onion, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg and bay leaves.
TWO: Simmer gently for 15 minutes and allow to cool so the flavours infuse.
Sieve the milk into another pan and discard the bits.
THREE: Warm through again and add the breadcrumbs, season well and simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken, stir through the butter.
FOUR: Decant into a bowl and grate over a little more nutmeg, and add a little bit more butter if liked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bread sauce is a traditional accompaniment for roast turkey (which is why it's so popular around Christmas and Thanksgiving), but also with goose. It also works well with roasted game birds like pigeon and partridge.
Yes! Make up to 2 days ahead and just gently warm it through in a saucepan just before serving - you might want to add a little more milk to thin it, and a little more butter and nutmeg to gussy it up just before serving. You can also freeze it, adding a little more butter, milk or even some cream to bring it back to life as you re-heat it.
As above, they can be warmed up for other meals (it will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge) and in our mind it's also an essential accompaniment for a leftovers sandwich at Christmas. A little more out the box, it can also be used to make bread rolls (!) or bind together breakfast patties made from leftover roast potatoes.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you're looking for the recipes for some of the other festive side dishes in the pictures above, you'll want to add our Simple Cheesy Baked Leeks, Easy Air Fryer Pigs in Blankets, Honey Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts, our Stovetop Maple and Butter Glazed Carrots, and our Air Fryer Honey Parsnips to your to-cook list!
Made this recipe and loved it?
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PrintBread Sauce
This classic, traditional recipe for Bread Sauce is the perfect accompaniment for your Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey. Ready in just 30 minutes it can also be made a couple of days ahead or even frozen in advance!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 600ml whole milk
- 100g white breadcrumbs
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 bay leaves
- 50g butter
Instructions
- Peel and quarter the onion and peel and half the garlic.
- Add the milk to a saucepan with the onion, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg and bay leaves.
- Simmer gently for 15 minutes and allow to cool so the flavours infuse.
- Sieve the milk into another pan and discard the bits.
- Warm through again and add the breadcrumbs, season well and simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken, stir through the butter.
- Decant into a bowl and grate over a little more nutmeg.
Notes
Make up to 2 days ahead and just gently warm it through in a saucepan just before serving - you might want to add a little more milk to thin it, and a little more butter and nutmeg to gussy it up just before serving. You can also freeze it, adding a little more butter, milk or even some cream to bring it back to life as you re-heat it.
Kaci says
My daughter made a bread sauce for Thanksgiving a few years ago from a recipe book she was gifted. It has become a family staple! We never want turkey without it, now. Your recipe is just slightly different, but we're going to try it this year. Thanks for keeping this traditional dish alive!