Best Delia Smith Bread Sauce​ Recipe​

This Delia Smith-style bread sauce is the classic British creamy condiment served with roast turkey, chicken, and all the trimmings. It’s softly thick, silky, and gently spiced with clove, bay, and a whisper of mace, with a comforting savoury sweetness from the onion-infused milk. It’s very easy to make, with simple ingredients and no tricky techniques. Total time is about 35 minutes (you can infuse the milk longer if you like, but it’s not essential).

Ingredients

For the infused milk

• 600ml whole milk
• 1 small onion, peeled and left whole
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 blade of mace (or 1/8 teaspoon ground mace)

For thickening and finishing

• 75g fresh white breadcrumbs (from about 3–4 slices, crusts removed)
• 25g unsalted butter
• 50ml double cream (optional, but traditional and lovely)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• White pepper (or black pepper), to taste

How to Make Delia Smith Bread Sauce

• Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 200°C or 180°C fan. If your bread is very soft or fresh, spread the slices on a tray and bake for 6–8 minutes, turning once, until just dried out (not browned). Cool, then blitz into crumbs or rub through a coarse sieve.
• Mix the flavour base: Stud the onion with the cloves by pushing them into the onion. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the clove-studded onion, bay leaf, and mace.
• Heat and infuse: Bring the milk up to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then immediately turn the heat to low. Let it barely bubble for 5 minutes, stirring now and then so the milk does not catch.
• Cool briefly (for better flavour): Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid, and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. If you have time, 20–30 minutes gives an even rounder, calmer spice note.
• Strain: Lift out the onion, bay leaf, and mace. (If any clove heads escape into the milk, fish them out with a spoon.) Return the infused milk to the saucepan.
• Thicken the sauce: Set the pan over low heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Cook gently for 6–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick, creamy, and spoonable. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of milk to loosen it.
• Assemble and finish: Stir in the butter until melted. Add the cream (if using), then season with salt and white pepper. Warm through for 1 minute, tasting as you go.
• Serve: Spoon into a warm jug or bowl and serve immediately with roast turkey, chicken, ham, or sausages. Bread sauce thickens as it sits, so give it a stir before serving and loosen with a little warm milk if needed.

Tips

Why is my bread sauce lumpy?

Lumps usually happen when breadcrumbs go in too quickly or the heat is too high. Keep the heat low and sprinkle the crumbs in while stirring. If it’s already lumpy, whisk briskly for 20–30 seconds, or blend briefly with a stick blender for a smoother finish.

How do I get a stronger (or milder) onion and clove flavour?

For a stronger flavour, infuse the milk for 30 minutes (or longer off the heat), and use a slightly larger onion. For a milder sauce, reduce the cloves to 4 and keep the infusing time closer to 10 minutes.

My bread sauce is too thick. How do I fix it?

Stir in warm milk a tablespoon at a time until it’s the texture you like. Bread sauce tightens quickly as it cools, so it’s normal to loosen it just before serving.

Can I make bread sauce ahead without it turning stodgy?

Yes. Make it fully, cool quickly, then refrigerate. Reheat gently on the hob, stirring often, and add extra milk to bring it back to a creamy, pourable consistency.

Serving Suggestions

• With roast turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, and gravy (a Christmas classic)
• Alongside roast chicken and buttery mash
• With baked ham and mustardy greens
• Spoon over sausages, roast potatoes, and steamed leeks

Storage

Room temperature

Do not leave bread sauce out for longer than 2 hours, as it contains milk and cream.

Refrigerator

Cool quickly, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, and loosen with a splash of milk as needed.

Freezing

You can freeze bread sauce for up to 2 months, though the texture can turn slightly grainy from the dairy. Freeze in a sealed container, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat slowly while whisking. A small splash of cream stirred in at the end helps bring it back to silky.

Nutrition

• Calories: 150 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 12 g
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 9 g
• Saturated fat: 5 g
• Sodium: 230 mg

Nutrition values are estimates and will vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion size.

Delia Smith Bread Sauce Recipe

Recipe by Milli Rose

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Side DishCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Classic British bread sauce made with onion-infused milk, cloves, bay and mace, then thickened with fresh breadcrumbs and finished with butter and cream.

Ingredients

• 600ml whole milk

• 1 small onion, peeled and left whole

• 6 whole cloves

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 blade of mace (or 1/8 tsp ground mace)

• 75g fresh white breadcrumbs

• 25g unsalted butter

• 50ml double cream (optional)

• 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste

• White pepper (or black pepper), to taste

• Extra milk, to loosen when reheating (as needed)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). If using fresh bread, dry slices on a tray for 6–8 minutes, cool, then make breadcrumbs.
• Stud the onion with cloves. Add milk, onion, bay, and mace to a saucepan.
• Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook on low for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat, cover, and infuse for 10 minutes (or up to 30 minutes for a stronger flavour).
• Remove onion, bay, and mace. Return milk to low heat.
• Stir in breadcrumbs and cook 6–10 minutes, stirring often, until thick and creamy.
• Stir in butter until melted. Add cream if using, then season with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm. If it thickens too much, loosen with a splash of warm milk.

Notes

• Keep the heat low to prevent scorching and lumps.
• Bread sauce thickens as it sits. Reheat gently and add a little milk to loosen.
• For a smoother sauce, use finer breadcrumbs or blend briefly at the end.

FAQs