Delia Smith Bread Sauce Recipe

This easy bread sauce is a classic British side dish, perfect with roast turkey or chicken. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and made with simple ingredients like milk, onion, cloves, and breadcrumbs. Great for Christmas or Sunday dinners—and you can even make it ahead or freeze it.

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 large onion, peeled
• 6 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• 570ml/1 pint full-fat milk
• 110g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
• 40g/1½oz butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Bread Sauce Recipe?

1. Infuse the milk: Press the cloves into the peeled onion and place it in a saucepan with the bay leaf, peppercorns, and milk. Bring it to a boil, then remove from heat and let it sit for 15 minutes so the flavors soak in.
2. Strain the milk: Remove the onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns, or pour the milk through a sieve into another saucepan.
3. Add the breadcrumbs: Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook on low heat for 5–10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir now and then so it doesn’t stick.
4. Mix in the butter: Add the butter and stir until melted.
5. Season and taste: Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm.

Recipe Tips:

• Infuse the milk fully: Let the milk sit with the onion, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns for at least 15 minutes after boiling. This step gives the sauce a deep, rich flavor—don’t skip it.
• Use fresh breadcrumbs: Fresh white breadcrumbs absorb the milk better and give the sauce a smooth texture. Avoid using dry or packaged crumbs.
• Stir gently while cooking: Once you add the breadcrumbs, stir every few minutes on low heat so the sauce doesn’t stick or turn lumpy.
• Adjust thickness with milk: If the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of warm milk at the end to loosen it. If it’s too thin, let it cook a little longer.
• Season only at the end: Always add salt and pepper after the sauce is finished. This keeps the flavors balanced and lets you taste it properly before seasoning.

How To Store & Reheat Leftovers?

• Refrigerate: First, let the leftover bread sauce cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• Freeze: Let the bread sauce cool completely, then place it in a freezer-safe container with a lid. Freeze for up to 2 months.
• Reheat: Pour the bread sauce into a saucepan and reheat over low heat, stirring often. Add a splash of milk if it looks too thick.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 210 kcal
• Total Fat: 13g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Cholesterol: 35mg
• Sodium: 220mg
• Potassium: 160mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 18g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: 6g
• Protein: 5g

Try More Delia Smith Recipes:

• Delia Smith Carrot and Coriander Soup Recipe
• Delia Smith Apple And Blackberry Crumble Recipe

Delia Smith Bread Sauce Recipe

Course: Side DishCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

18

minutes

Calories

210

kcal

This easy bread sauce is a classic British side dish, perfect with roast turkey or chicken. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and made with simple ingredients like milk, onion, cloves, and breadcrumbs. Great for Christmas or Sunday dinners—and you can even make it ahead or freeze it.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, peeled

• 6 cloves

• 1 bay leaf

• 6 black peppercorns

• 570ml/1 pint full-fat milk

• 110g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs

• 40g/1½oz butter

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Infuse the milk: Press the cloves into the peeled onion and place it in a saucepan with the bay leaf, peppercorns, and milk. Bring it to a boil, then remove from heat and let it sit for 15 minutes so the flavors soak in.
• Strain the milk: Remove the onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns, or pour the milk through a sieve into another saucepan.
• Add the breadcrumbs: Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook on low heat for 5–10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir now and then so it doesn’t stick.
• Mix in the butter: Add the butter and stir until melted.
• Season and taste: Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm.

Notes

• Infuse the milk fully: Let the milk sit with the onion, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns for at least 15 minutes after boiling. This step gives the sauce a deep, rich flavor—don’t skip it.
• Use fresh breadcrumbs: Fresh white breadcrumbs absorb the milk better and give the sauce a smooth texture. Avoid using dry or packaged crumbs.
• Stir gently while cooking: Once you add the breadcrumbs, stir every few minutes on low heat so the sauce doesn’t stick or turn lumpy.
• Adjust thickness with milk: If the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of warm milk at the end to loosen it. If it’s too thin, let it cook a little longer.
• Season only at the end: Always add salt and pepper after the sauce is finished. This keeps the flavors balanced and lets you taste it properly before seasoning.