Anna Louise Bread sauce is the Christmas condiment that divides people — not because it is controversial in its flavour, which is mild and comforting, but because many people have only encountered poorly made versions.
A bread sauce made by simply stirring breadcrumbs into warm milk has a flat, slightly starchy, slightly boring character that does not do justice to the dish.
A bread sauce made properly — the milk infused for twenty minutes with a whole clove-studded onion, a bay leaf, peppercorns, and mace before the breadcrumbs go in — is completely different.
I make bread sauce every Christmas and I have done for as long as I can remember. It is one of those dishes where the method matters far more than the ingredients — the ingredients are very simple — and where taking the time to infuse the milk properly gives something specifically good rather than something merely adequate.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Bread Sauce (Serves 8)
For the Bread Sauce
- 600ml whole milk
- 1 medium onion, peeled and halved — the two halves studded with 3 cloves each
- 6 whole cloves — pushed into the onion halves
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- 1 blade of mace — or ¼ tsp ground mace
- 150g fresh white breadcrumbs — from a good quality white loaf, crusts removed, made the day the sauce is served
- 50g unsalted butter — added at the end for richness
- 75ml double cream — added at the end for silkiness (optional but very good)
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
How to Make Mary Berry Bread Sauce
Step 1 — Infuse the Milk
Place the whole milk, clove-studded onion halves, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and mace in a medium saucepan. Heat over a medium-low heat until the milk just begins to steam and small bubbles appear around the edges — do not allow it to boil.
Remove from the heat. Cover and leave to infuse for a minimum of twenty minutes — thirty minutes gives a more fragrant, more deeply spiced result. The longer the infusion, the more the spices and aromatics penetrate the milk.
Step 2 — Strain and Return to the Pan
Strain the infused milk through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan — pressing the onion firmly to extract all its flavour. Discard the onion, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, and mace.
Step 3 — Add the Breadcrumbs
Bring the infused milk to a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat. Add the fresh white breadcrumbs — stirring continuously. Cook, stirring, for five to eight minutes until the breadcrumbs have completely absorbed the milk and the sauce has thickened to a smooth, creamy, coating consistency.
The sauce should be thick enough to hold its shape slightly on the spoon but still pourable — thicker than cream but not as thick as mashed potato. If it seems too thick, add a splash more warm milk. If it seems too thin, cook for a further two to three minutes.
Step 4 — Finish and Season
Remove from the heat. Add the butter and stir until completely melted. Add the double cream if using. Add the freshly grated nutmeg. Season generously with salt and white pepper. Taste — the bread sauce should be savoury, slightly spiced from the cloves and mace, slightly creamy from the butter and cream, and very well seasoned.
Serve warm alongside roast turkey, roast chicken, or game birds.
My Top Tips For Best Mary Berry Bread Sauce
The milk infusion is what makes bread sauce specifically good. Bread sauce made without the infusion step — simply warm milk, breadcrumbs, and butter — tastes of starchy milk. Bread sauce made with twenty to thirty minutes of infusion with clove-studded onion, bay, peppercorns, and mace tastes of a completely different and specifically wonderful thing. The infusion is not optional.
Use fresh white breadcrumbs made on the day. Dried breadcrumbs give a slightly gritty, slightly sandy texture to the finished sauce. Fresh breadcrumbs made from a good quality white loaf — processed briefly or grated — give a smooth, creamy sauce that is infinitely better. Make them on Christmas morning — it takes two minutes.
Press the onion firmly when straining. The clove-studded onion has absorbed and concentrated the aromatics during infusion. Pressing firmly when straining gives a more fragrant, more flavourful milk to work with.
Add the butter and cream at the end — off the heat. Butter and cream added off the heat at the very end give richness and silkiness without any risk of the sauce splitting or the cream reducing to something thicker than intended.
This reheats perfectly — make it ahead. Bread sauce made twenty minutes ahead of serving and kept warm is completely ready to serve. Bread sauce made the day before and refrigerated reheats beautifully with a splash of warm milk stirred through and a gentle heat. It is one of the most make-ahead-friendly Christmas dishes.
Serving Suggestions
Alongside roast turkey at Christmas — the most traditional and most specifically correct pairing. Alongside roast chicken. Alongside pheasant or other game birds. As part of the complete Christmas plate alongside stuffing, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and gravy.
How to Store Mary Berry Bread Sauce
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan with a splash of warm milk — stirring until smooth and warm throughout. Add an additional knob of butter when reheating for the best result.
In the freezer: Freezing is not recommended — the breadcrumb texture deteriorates on defrosting.
Mary Berry Bread Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Place milk, clove-studded onion halves, bay leaf, peppercorns, and mace in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low until just steaming — do not boil. Remove from heat. Cover — infuse 20–30 minutes.
- Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan — press onion firmly. Discard solids.
- Bring infused milk to a gentle simmer. Add fresh breadcrumbs — stir continuously 5–8 minutes until thickened to a smooth, creamy coating consistency. Add warm milk if too thick — cook longer if too thin.
- Remove from heat. Add butter — stir until melted. Add double cream if using. Add nutmeg. Season generously with salt and white pepper. Taste and adjust.
- Serve warm alongside roast turkey or chicken.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make bread sauce with brown bread?
Brown bread gives a slightly denser, slightly more rustic sauce with a slightly different colour. White bread gives the classic, pale, creamy result. White bread is the traditional and preferred choice.
Can I use dried breadcrumbs in an emergency?
Yes — dried breadcrumbs give a less smooth result but a workable one. Use 100g rather than 150g as dried breadcrumbs absorb more liquid. The texture will not be quite as silky.
Can I add garlic to the infusion?
Yes — one crushed garlic clove added to the infusing milk gives a very subtle garlic note that suits chicken particularly well.
How many cloves should I use?
Six cloves in total — three per onion half — gives a clear but not overwhelming clove flavour. More cloves give a more intensely spiced, slightly medicinal result. Fewer give a less distinctly spiced sauce. Six is the right quantity.
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