Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatic Infusion
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
- 1 mace blade
Sauce Base and Finishing
- 100 g white bread, stale, crusts removed, torn into coarse chunks
- 30 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 45 ml heavy cream
- 2 g salt
- 1 g nutmeg, freshly grated
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 251 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 24 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 629 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 16 mg
- Potassium
- 542 mg
- Calcium
- 434 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 0 mg
- Phosphorus
- 341 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 323 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Folate
- 0 mcg
- Water
- 1 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Press the whole cloves firmly into the rounded sides of the peeled onion halves.
Place the whole milk, clove-studded onion halves, black peppercorns, bay leaf, and mace blade into a small saucepan. Place over medium heat until it just reaches a gentle simmer at around 85 degrees Celsius or 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not let it boil.
Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately. Cover with a lid and leave the aromatics to infuse into the milk for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and strain the infused milk through a fine mesh strainer into a clean jug or bowl. Discard the onion, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, and mace. Pour the strained milk back into the saucepan.
Return the saucepan to low heat. Add the torn stale bread. Simmer very gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bread has broken down and thickened the milk into a porridge-like consistency.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the unsalted butter, heavy cream, salt, and freshly grated nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm.
Chef's Notes
- For the best texture, use a decent quality white loaf like a bloomer or mild sourdough, and ensure it is a couple of days old so it can properly absorb the milk without turning to glue.
- Tearing the bread into coarse chunks rather than using fine, sand-like breadcrumbs provides the classic rustic and slightly lumpy texture characteristic of traditional bread sauce.
- If you are short on time, you can reduce the steeping process to 15 minutes, but the flavor will not be quite as deep and rounded.
- This sauce can easily be made up to three days in advance. In fact, resting in the fridge often improves and deepens the flavors further.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Press plastic wrap directly to the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Freezer: 1 month — May separate slightly upon thawing. Whisk vigorously over low heat to bring back together.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of milk if it has thickened too much.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is overly thick, stodgy, or paste-like.
Cause: The bread absorbed too much liquid or cooked for too long.
Fix: Vigorously whisk in warm milk or hot water one tablespoon at a time until the desired spoonable consistency is restored.
Prevention: Ensure accurate measurement of the bread and avoid vigorous boiling.
Sauce lacks depth of flavor.
Cause: The infusion step was shortened or skipped.
Fix: Add a pinch more salt and an extra grating of nutmeg to lift the profile.
Prevention: Allow the milk to steep off the heat for the full 30 minutes to extract the essential oils from the aromatics.
Cultural Context
Bread sauce is one of the oldest surviving culinary staples in British cuisine, with its origins tracing back to the medieval period. Before the widespread use of roux or cornstarch, cooks thickened savory liquids and meat drippings with stale bread. Today, it remains a cherished traditional accompaniment, particularly favored alongside roast turkey at Christmas or roast chicken on a Sunday.
