Bread Sauce
"Take a Large Onion & White Pepper Corns, & boil them well in Water, Take the Bread & milk & boil them together; Then rub it through a Sive, put Cream & Butter to yr Taste, a Little Salt & an Onion put in part before you Take it off ye fire gives it a pretty relish, throw the Onion out before you Serve it up."
Note on the Original Text
This recipe is written in the straightforward, somewhat abbreviated style typical of 18th-century English manuscripts. Directions are concise, ingredients are not listed separately but woven into the narrative, and quantities are vague—cooks were expected to know what was 'enough'. Spelling is archaic ('Sive' for sieve, 'ye' for 'the', and 'yr' for 'your'), and punctuation flexible. The expectation was that the reader had experience and could fill in gaps from personal knowledge or household custom.
Title
Receipt book of Elizabeth Smith (1775)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Elizabeth Smith
Era
1775
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step into the refined kitchens of the late 18th century with Elizabeth Smith, whose culinary wisdom offers a charming taste of Georgian elegance and time-honored recipes to delight any palate.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe comes from the manuscript of Elizabeth Smith, written between approximately 1749 and 1800. Bread sauce is a classic English accompaniment, traditionally served with roasted fowl such as chicken or turkey, especially around festive occasions. During this period, households commonly made practical use of leftover bread, and bread-based sauces were a staple in upper and middle-class English households. This sauce's gentle flavors and creamy texture highlight the culinary sensibilities of 18th-century England, where sauces often balanced the rich flavors of roasted meats.
Back in Elizabeth Smith's time, a heavy saucepan or cauldron would be set over an open hearth or on a wood-fired range. The bread and milk would be boiled in a copper or iron pot. An onion would be simmered in a separate vessel with peppercorns. The 'sive' mentioned refers to a sieve used for pressing the sauce through to achieve smoothness—often a fine wire mesh or horsehair model. A wooden spoon or pestle might help in pushing the bread through. Other essentials would include a sharp knife for peeling onions, and ladles or dippers for serving.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 5-6 whole white peppercorns
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 4 1/4 oz white bread (preferably stale), crusts removed
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 3 1/2 tbsp double cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by peeling a large onion and placing it in a saucepan with about 5-6 whole white peppercorns and 1 1/4 cups water.
- Bring this to a simmer and cook gently for about 10-15 minutes until the onion is softened.
- In a separate pan, combine about 4 1/4 oz of fresh white bread (crumbled or torn into small pieces) with 1 1/4 cups whole milk.
- Gently bring to a simmer and cook until the bread breaks down and the mixture is thickened, stirring often.
- Once thickened, press the mixture through a fine sieve (or use a stick blender for convenience) to achieve a smooth texture.
- Stir in around 3 1/2 tbsp double cream and 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, adding salt to taste.
- Retrieve the onion from the cooking water and place it back in the sauce for a minute or two, then remove it just before serving.
- Serve the bread sauce warm alongside roasted meats or poultry.
Estimated Calories
220 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 10-15 minutes to cook the onion and another 10 minutes to thicken the bread and milk mixture. Prep is quick—just slicing an onion and preparing bread. The whole recipe makes about 4 generous portions, and each serving is around 220 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
Join the Discussion
Rate This Recipe
Dietary Preference
Main Ingredients
Culinary Technique
Occasions
Den Bockfisch In Einer Fleisch Suppen Zu Kochen
This recipe hails from a German manuscript cookbook compiled in 1696, a time whe...
Die Grieß Nudlen Zumachen
This recipe comes from a rather mysterious manuscript cookbook, penned anonymous...
Ein Boudain
This recipe comes from an anonymous German-language manuscript cookbook from 169...
Ein Gesaltzen Citroni
This recipe, dating from 1696, comes from an extensive anonymous German cookbook...
Browse our complete collection of time-honored recipes