Sourdough and brown-butter bread sauce
Prep time: 10 minsTotal time: 
Sourdough and brown-butter bread sauce
A richer, more luxe version of bread sauce, and bound to become a new family favourite
Prep time: 10 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Spencer Lengsfield
Ingredients
- 600ml whole milk
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 leftover parmesan rind (optional)
- 200g sourdough bread, crusts removed
- 40g unsalted butter, diced
- ¼ x 20g pack chives, snipped
Step by step
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Start by infusing the milk. Add the milk, onion, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, garlic, nutmeg and the parmesan rind, if using, to a large pan. Turn to a low heat, cover, and leave to gently bubble for 30 minutes, stirring every so often.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Tear up the sourdough and put in a food processor. Whizz into breadcrumbs, then transfer to a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden-brown.
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Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve and discard all the aromatics. Add the milk back to the pan, along with the toasted breadcrumbs. Season well, then cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes until it thickens. If it gets too thick, add a splash more milk.
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Meanwhile, put the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir constantly – the butter should melt then foam up, then little brown flecks should appear and it should smell nutty. Remove from the heat and stir half of it through the bread sauce. Transfer the sauce to a serving dish then drizzle with the remaining brown butter. Finish with some black pepper and a sprinkle of chives to serve.
