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Mary Berry Bread Sauce Recipe

Mary Berry Bread Sauce Recipe

Mary Berry’s bread sauce is a creamy, clove-fragrant, onion-infused sauce thickened with fresh white breadcrumbs.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Infusing Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 Portions
Course: Soup
Cuisine: British
Calories: 155
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Bread Sauce:
  • 600 ml whole milk
  • 1 medium onion halved — each half studded with 3 cloves
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 whole black peppercorns
  • 1 blade of mace or ¼ tsp ground
  • 150 g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 75 ml double cream optional
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • Salt and white pepper

Method
 

  1. 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.
  2. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan — press onion firmly. Discard solids.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Serve warm alongside roast turkey or chicken.

Notes

The milk infusion is what makes bread sauce specifically good — do not skip it.
Use fresh white breadcrumbs made on the day — dried give a gritty, less silky result.
Press the onion firmly when straining — extracts the maximum flavour from the infusion.
Add butter and cream off the heat at the end — gives richness without risk of splitting.
Make ahead and reheat with a splash of warm milk — one of the most convenient Christmas dishes.
Do not freeze — the breadcrumb texture deteriorates completely.
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