Creme Boylede

This is a stove top bread pudding. The richness of the dish is directly proportional to the fat % of the cream used and amount of butter added. The flavor is improved by using fresh or day-old sourdough bread to make the crumbs.

Creme Boylede- Take creme or mylke, & brede of paynemayn, or ellys of tendyr brede, an breke it on the creme, or elles in the mylke, an seet it on the fyre til it be warme hot; and throw a straynour throwe it, and put it in-to a fayre potte, an sette it on the fyre, an stere evermoure: an whan it is almost y-boylyd, take fayre yolkys of eyron, an draw hem throw a straynour, an caste hem ther-to, and let hem stonde over the fyre tyl it boyl almost, an till it be skyfully thikke; than caste a ladel-ful, or more or lasse, of boter ther-to, an a good quantite of whyte sugre, and a litel salt, an than dresse it on a dysshe in manner of mortrewes.


Take cream or milk and bread or else fresh bread crumbs. Break the bread into the cream or milk and seethe it over heat until it is just hot. Push through a strainer to make it smooth and put it into a new pot over the heat and stir it from now on. When it is just under a boil, take egg yolks and draw them through a strainer and add them to the pot and keep it on the fire until it is almost at a boil and until it starts to thicken. Add a ladleful, more or less, of butter and a good quantity of white sugar and a little salt. Dish it up like a stew.

2 cups half and half
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 tspn. butter
1 cup white sugar
Pinch of salt


Pull the center out of a firm round loaf and bread the bread into crumbs. Add the crumbs to a pot with the half and half and bring to a simmer. If you want the dish very smooth, puree the mixture in a blender or food processor and return to a clean pot, reserving some of the hot liquid to add to the yolks. Stir the hot liquid into the yolks and add to the hot bread and cream mixture and stir constantly over the heat. When the liquid comes to a simmer and starts to thicken take it off the fire and add the butter, sugar and salt. Let cool and thicken. Add to the bread bowl just before serving.