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    Home » Recipes » Christmas

    Easy Bread Sauce Recipe

    Published: Jul 28, 2021 · Modified: Sep 21, 2022 by Beth Sachs · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Easy bread sauce for Christmas.

    A super easy bread sauce recipe, flavoured with onion, bay leaves, cloves, and nutmeg.

    The perfect partner to turkey or chicken, it's one of those sauces you just can't stop eating...straight off the spoon!

    Easy bread sauce in a saucepan.

    This easy creamy bread sauce recipe is 100 times tastier than those packet bread sauce mixes you can buy from the supermarket!

    Once you've tried this homemade version you will never go back, and best of all it takes only 20 minutes to make!

    👩‍🍳 Don't forget to check out my homemade cranberry sauce recipe too!

    Jump to:
    • ✔️ Why should you try it?
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Top tips
    • 🍴 Serving suggestions
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🥡 Storage
    • ❓ FAQs
    • 😋Related recipes
    • Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ✔️ Why should you try it?

    • Quick and easy to make.
    • Much tastier than shop bought.
    • Can be made ahead and frozen.
    • The perfect accompaniment to roast turkey at Christmas.

    🥘 Ingredients

    Ingredients needed to make homemade bread sauce.
    • Breadcrumbs- white bread left out overnight to go stale, and then pulsed into breadcrumbs in a food processor.
    • Milk - use full-fat whole milk for a rich and creamy bread sauce.
    • Onion - peeled and left whole for infusing the milk.
    • Cloves - push the cloves into the onion.
    • Bay Leaves - 2 bay leaves are needed for the recipe.
    • Nutmeg - freshly grated is best.
    • Salt and Pepper - for seasoning.
    • Double Cream - for extra creaminess.

    🔪 Instructions

    The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post

    1. Infuse the milk. Pour the milk into a saucepan, stud the onion with the cloves, and place into the saucepan along with the bay leaves. Bring the milk to a boil then immediately reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
    2. Sieve the onion and bay leaves out of the milk (use a slotted spoon for this), then place back on a low heat and add the breadcrumbs, freshly grated nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
    3. Stir to combine then finish with the double cream before serving!
    Step by step photos for making easy bread sauce.

    💭 Top tips

    • White bread is best for bread sauce. Seeded and wholemeal bread do not work as well.
    • If you've forgotten to leave your bread out overinght, just switch the oven on to low, lay the bread slices on a baking tray, and place them in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before pulsing into breadcrumbs.

    🍴 Serving suggestions

    Traditionally bread sauce is served with roast turkey for Christmas dinner, alongside roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, sausage meat stuffing, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, honey roast parsnips and carrots, devils on horseback, and gravy.

    It's good with roast chicken and slow cooker lamb too!

    📖 Variations

    • Reduce the calories by using semi-skimmed milk and omitting the double cream.
    • For a more indulgent version, add 1 tablespoon of butter with the double cream.
    • Prefer a chunkier sauce? Tear the bread into pieces rather than pulsing it into breadcrumbs in a food processor.
    Bread sauce in a serving dish.

    🥡 Storage

    Store: The bread sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. When you are ready to serve it, pop it back in a saucepan and heat it up gently. You may need to thin it out with a little milk.

    Freeze: Bread sauce can also be frozen. Make as directed, allow to cool then place in a freezer-safe container. Defrost in the fridge then heat up as above.

    ❓ FAQs

    What texture should bread sauce be?

    Bread sauce should be the texture and consistency of thick porridge. It's a sauce that is generally spooned onto plates rather than poured.

    Where did bread sauce originate from?

    A British classic, it's traditionally served alongside roast turkey at Christmas, but is equally good with roast chicken and other meat. Its origins can be traced back to the middle ages when cooks needed a way to use up leftover bread and found it could be used to thicken stews, soups, and sauces.

    What is bread sauce made of?

    Traditional British bread sauce is made with milk, butter or cream, and bread crumbs, and typically flavoured with onion, cloves, and bay leaf.

    😋Related recipes

    More Christmas recipes from the Effortless Foodie kitchen!

    • Easy Frangipane Mince Pies Recipe
    • Easy Christmas Fairy Cakes with Sprinkles
    • Easy Christmas Tiffin Recipe
    • Easy Stollen Muffins Recipe

    Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!

    Recipe

    Bread sauce with bay leaves.
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    5 from 6 votes

    Easy Bread Sauce

    A super easy bread sauce recipe, flavoured with onion, bay leaves, cloves, and nutmeg.
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine British
    Keyword bread sauce, creamy bread sauce, easy bread sauce, homemade bread sauce, simple bread sauce
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 132kcal
    Author Beth Sachs
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Food Processor
    • Saucepan

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 150 g Breadcrumbs made from stale white bread (see tips)
    • 500 ml Whole Milk
    • 1 Onion peeled and kept whole
    • 6 Cloves
    • 2 Bay Leaves
    • ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Pepper
    • 2 tablespoon Double Cream

    Instructions

    • The day before making the bread sauce, leave the slices of white bread out on the kitchen surface to dry out. If you forget to do this, don't panic! See my top tips for a quick way of getting stale bread.
    • Tear up the bread into large pieces and pulse in a food processor until you get breadcrumbs. I like to keep my breadcrumbs quite chunky.
    • Stud the peeled whole onion with the cloves and place in a saucepan with the bay leaves and milk. Bring the milk to a boil then reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 10 minutes.
    • Sieve out the onion and bay leaves (use a slotted spoon for this) then add the breadcrumbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
    • Stir in the double cream just before serving.

    Notes

    Tops Tips:
    • White bread is best for bread sauce. Seeded and wholemeal bread do not work as well.
    • If you've forgotten to leave your bread out overinght, just switch the oven on to low, lay the bread slices on a baking tray and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before pulsing into breadcrumbs.
     
    Variations:
    • Reduce the calories by using semi skimmed milk and omitting the double cream.
    • For a more indulgent sauce, add 1 tablespoon of butter with the double cream.
    • Prefer chunkier bread sauce? Tear the bread into pieces rather than pulsing into breadcrumbs in a food processor.
     
    Storage:
    The bread sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. When you are ready to serve it, pop it back in a saucepan and heat it up gently. You may need to thin the bread sauce out with a little milk. The bread sauce can also be frozen.
     
    Nutrition:
    The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
     
    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Bread Sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    132
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    4
    g
    6
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    13
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    11
    mg
    4
    %
    Sodium
     
    239
    mg
    10
    %
    Potassium
     
    145
    mg
    4
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    18
    g
    6
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    5
    g
    6
    %
    Protein
     
    5
    g
    10
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    159
    IU
    3
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    1
    mg
    1
    %
    Calcium
     
    112
    mg
    11
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    More Easy Christmas Recipes

    • Air Fryer Turkey Toastie (with Bacon & Brie)
    • Cheesy Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake Recipe
    • Easy Leftover Turkey Fricassee Recipe
    • Easy Air Fryer Turkey Crown

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Claudia Lamascolo

      July 28, 2021 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      I love that nutmeg additions it must smell heavenly also!

      Reply
    2. Sherry Ronning

      July 28, 2021 at 2:21 pm

      5 stars
      I have been looking for a special recipe to make on Thanksgiving. Thanks to you, I have finally found this Easy Bread Sauce recipe that my whole family is going to love. I like that this recipe can be made a couple of days ahead of time and then re-warmed up when ready to serve. I can't wait to surprise my family with this awesome sauce!!

      Reply
    3. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

      July 28, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      5 stars
      Love how easy this recipe is. It’s perfect for our family!

      Reply
    4. Caroline

      July 28, 2021 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      My mum always made bread sauce at Christmas time but it wasn't one of the recipes I picked up from her, for some reason. Love that hint of nutmeg.

      Reply
    5. Alison

      July 28, 2021 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      Super easy, and WAY better than store bought! I'll never get store bought bread sauce again!

      Reply
    6. Anthea

      December 06, 2021 at 10:23 am

      I want to try this recipe but I notice it has whole milk in the recipe - can I make it with soya or coconut milk?

      Reply
      • Beth Sachs

        December 06, 2021 at 11:16 am

        Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend making this with coconut or soya milk.

        Reply

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    Beth Sachs Food Blogger

    Hi, I’m Beth, a Mum of three (and one crazy dog), living in Cornwall, UK. I love creating easy, delicious and fuss-free recipes, perfect for busy families, just like my own.

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