Bread sauce

What is Bread sauce?

Bread sauce is a traditional British sauce made by simmering milk with breadcrumbs until thick. The mixture is flavoured with onion, butter, and spices such as nutmeg, clove, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Sometimes, fat from roasting meat is stirred in for extra richness. The sauce can be served warm or cold, and is usually paired with roast poultry like chicken or turkey. Its texture is creamy and slightly coarse from the breadcrumbs, with a gentle spice aroma.

Where does Bread sauce come from?

Bread sauce dates back to at least medieval times in Britain, when cooks used bread to thicken sauces. This practice likely arose as a way to use up stale bread, turning it into a useful ingredient for thickening and adding body to sauces. Bread-thickened sauces were common in medieval cooking, and bread sauce is one of the few that remain in British cuisine today, especially with roast poultry.

How is Bread sauce made?

To make bread sauce, milk is gently heated with onion and spices such as nutmeg, clove, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Breadcrumbs, often from slightly stale bread, are added to thicken the mixture. Butter is stirred in for richness, and sometimes a little fat from roasting meat is included. The sauce is simmered until it reaches a creamy, spoonable consistency, then served either warm or cold.

How and when is Bread sauce eaten?

Bread sauce is most often served as a side with roast chicken or turkey, especially at lunch or dinner. It is spooned onto the plate alongside slices of meat, where its creamy texture and mild spice balance the savoury flavours of the roast. The sauce may be served warm or cold, depending on preference and the meal.

Kinds of Bread sauce

While the basic recipe remains similar, some cooks add more or less spice, or use different types of bread. The use of slightly stale bread is common, but fresh bread can also be used. Some versions may include more butter or extra fat from the roasting pan for a richer taste. The sauce can be made ahead and served cold or reheated.

What Bread sauce means

Bread sauce is a rare survivor of medieval British cooking, when bread was often used to thicken sauces. Today, it is a familiar part of British meals with roast poultry, especially during family gatherings or traditional Sunday roasts. Its continued presence on the table connects modern British cuisine with its historical roots.

Questions people ask about Bread sauce

Good reading and sources

• The bittersweet history of sweets and confectioneryBBC, Article

• Bread sauce on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data