Christmas Bread Sauce
This is a creamy, traditional British sauce that is served as an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken. It's usually part of a British Christmas dinner but it can also be eaten with Sunday lunch too.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories98
- Carbs11g
- Protein4g
- Fat4.3g
- Saturates2.6g
- Sugars4.9g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
This traditional, creamy British sauce is usually served as an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken as part of a British Christmas dinner.
We love it served with our Slow Cooker Christmas Turkey Joint or even with our Ginger and Orange Glazed Ham, but it would really work well with whatever you choose to have for your Christmas dinner. You can find the full collection of our Christmas recipes here.
It might be called Christmas Bread Sauce, but it’s also delicious when served with a Sunday roast dinner too!
If you’ve never had bread sauce before then it’s simply milk infused with onion, garlic and a variety of spices, that is then mixed with breadcrumbs.
Traditionally, cream and butter are also added to give the sauce a rich creaminess, but we’ve used semi skimmed milk and a bit of mascarpone to help keep the calories lower without sacrificing the creaminess.
It’s really important that you use stale, white bread in this recipe as brown bread just isn’t as nice in our opinion!
If you don’t have any stale white bread, then you can simply place some fresh bread into a very low oven for a short while until it feels dry.
What diets is this Christmas Bread Sauce suitable for?
This Christmas Bread Sauce is suitable for vegetarian diets.
It can also be made suitable for gluten free diets as long as you use a gluten free substitute for the following ingredients:
- White bread
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Christmas Bread Sauce?
This recipe is fairly straightforward and doesn’t require any special ingredients.
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A food processor would be handy for this recipe, but it’s not essential.
We like to serve our Christmas Bread Sauce in a serving bowl so that everyone can tuck in!
How many calories are in this Christmas Bread Sauce?
There are 98 calories per portion in this Christmas Bread Sauce which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Christmas Bread Sauce is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Place the bread in a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until it turns into breadcrumbs. If you haven’t got a food processor or mini chopper then you can also use a coarse grater to make the breadcrumbs.
Step 2
Place the milk, onion, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and nutmeg in a medium saucepan.
Step 3
Place over a medium heat, just bring to the boil, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 4
Remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the onions, garlic, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns.
Step 5
Return the infused milk to the saucepan and stir in the breadcrumbs until smooth.
Step 6
Place over a low heat and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring, until thickened.
Step 7
Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone until completely blended.
Step 8
Season to taste with salt and pepper, then place in a serving bowl.
Step 9
Sprinkle with a little ground nutmeg and serve.
What could I serve with this Christmas Bread Sauce?
Traditionally, this Christmas Bread Sauce would be served with your Christmas dinner, but it’s also a great accompaniment to your Sunday roast.
Serve alongside your choice of protein or any of the following dishes:
How do you know when this Christmas Bread Sauce is cooked?
You should cook your Christmas Bread Sauce for around 13 minutes or until it’s thickened.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
Can you cook this Christmas Bread Sauce in any other way?
Yes, it can also be cooked in the microwave.
To make in the microwave: Place the milk, onion, garlic, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns in a medium bowl and cover with vented clingfilm. Heat for approximately 2 – 3 minutes on high, or until bubbling and steaming hot. Strain the liquid, discarding the onion, garlic, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns.
Stir the breadcrumbs into the infused milk until smooth. Microwave for 1 – 2 minutes, on high, stirring halfway through, or until thickened.
Stir in the mascarpone cheese until completely blended, season to taste, and serve sprinkled with a little ground nutmeg.
How long can you keep this Christmas Bread Sauce in the fridge?
This sauce can be made the day before it’s needed and kept covered, in the fridge. If you have any leftover sauce then this can be kept, covered, in the fridge for 1 – 2 days.
Can I freeze this Christmas Bread Sauce?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat this Christmas Bread Sauce?
From chilled: Place your Christmas Bread Sauce into a pan and warm over a low heat, stirring, for 3 – 5 minutes, or until hot right through.
From frozen: Defrost thoroughly and then as above.
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Christmas Bread Sauce
This is a creamy, traditional British sauce that is served as an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken. It's usually part of a British Christmas dinner but it can also be eaten with Sunday lunch too.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
13 MINS
- KCals 98
- Carbs 11G
Instructions
- Place the bread in a food processor or mini chopper and blitz until it turns into breadcrumbs. If you haven't got a food processor or mini chopper then you can also use a coarse grater to make the breadcrumbs.
- Place the milk, onion, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and nutmeg in a medium saucepan.
- Place over a medium heat, just bring to the boil, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the onions, garlic, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns.
- Return the infused milk to the saucepan and stir in the breadcrumbs until smooth.
- Place over a low heat and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring, until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone until completely blended.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then place in a serving bowl.
- Sprinkle with a little ground nutmeg and serve.
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Recipe notes
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2 comments
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TaraWednesday 21st December 2022
Can you use stale French bread for this recipe?
SharonThursday 22nd December 2022
Hi Tara, stale French bread should work well in this recipe. Make sure to remove the brown crust and only use the white part of the loaf. Enjoy the recipe!
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