Bread Sauce I

Bread Sauce I is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic sauce of bread and milk flavoured with onion, mace and cayenne pepper that's typically served with roast fowl. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Bread Sauce I.

prep time

90 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

110 minutes

Serves:

6–8

Rating:

Tags : Sauce Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Bread Recipes Vegetable Recipes Milk Recipes British Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.

Original Recipe

BREAD SAUCE I. (to serve with Roast Turkey, Fowl, Game, &c.).

371. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of milk, 3/4 of the crumb of a stale loaf, 1 onion; pounded mace, cayenne, and salt to taste; 1 oz. of butter.

Mode.—Peel and quarter the onion, and simmer it in the milk till perfectly tender. Break the bread, which should be stale, into small pieces, carefully picking out any hard outside pieces; put it in a very clean saucepan, strain the milk over it, cover it up, and let it remain for an hour to soak. Now beat it up with a fork very smoothly, add a seasoning of pounded mace, cayenne, and salt, with 1 oz. of butter; give the whole one boil, and serve. To enrich this sauce, a small quantity of cream may be added just before sending it to table.

Time.—Altogether, 1-3/4 hour.

Average cost for this quantity, 4d.

Sufficient to serve with a turkey, pair of fowls, or brace of partridges.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

600ml milk
150g stale Breads, broken into small pieces (remove any crust)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1/4 tsp ground mace
cayenne pepper and salt, to taste
30g butter

Method:

Combine the onion and milk in a pan, bring to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the onion is completely tender.

Place the Breads pieces in a clean pan then strain over the onion-flavoured milk. Cover and set aside for 60 minutes, so that the bread can soak up the milk. After this time, beat the mixture with a fork until completely smooth.

Add the mace then season with the cayenne pepper and salt. Place the butter in the pan then set on the hob, bring to a boil, turn into a sauce boat and serve.

For a slightly richer sauce, stir in about 60ml of cream just before serving.

Find more Mrs Beeton Recipes Hereand more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here