Lyode Soppes – Early custard-style bread pudding
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| Lyode Sops |
This is probably one of my very favorite breakfast recipes.
Dan Myers, of Medieval Cookery, once made a comment about the dish Boylede Creme, wondering how it might taste if bread were added. That thought inspired me to dig deeper into the history and origins of bread pudding. If you’re a medieval food enthusiast, a budding cook, or simply curious about what people ate in the Middle Ages, I strongly encourage a visit to his site—it's full of historical detail and beautifully interpreted recipes.
While researching bread pudding, I repeatedly came across the claim that it "probably originated in the early 11th or 12th centuries" and was invented by "frugal cooks looking to use up stale bread." Unfortunately, these often-cited facts were rarely backed up with strong historical sources. However, this recipe from “Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books” (Harleian MS. 279, ab. 1430) offers actual documentation of bread in custard well before most modern references begin.
Lyode Soppes is literally a sop of bread floating in a pool of beautifully thick and sweet custard. It’s also the last of the milk-based pottages I worked with that week, and I believe it may represent one of the earliest true recipes for what we would recognize as “bread pudding.”
What Makes This Dish Different?
Lyode Soppes lacks many of the elements we associate with modern bread pudding—there are no raisins, no cinnamon, no creamy baked texture, and notably, it’s not made in the oven at all. Instead, the star here is the custard. Like Papyns and Creme Boylede, the custard is made from milk and egg yolks, sweetened with sugar, and lightly salted before being thickened gently over heat.
Custards go way back. According to C. Anne Wilson, the Romans “borrowed from the Greeks the idea of combining eggs with milk to form a custard mixture... The ‘flathons’ (flans), ‘crustards’ and other open tarts of medieval cookery again recall the old ‘patinae,’ with the shallow open dish of the Romans replaced by an open pastry crust.”
Original Text
.xxix. Lyode Soppes.—Take Mylke an boyle it, an þanne take ȝolkys of eyroun y-tryid fro þe whyte, an draw hem þorwe A straynoure, an caste hem in-to þe mylke, an sette it on þe fyre an hete it, but let it nowt boyle; an stere it wyl tyl it be somwhat þikke; þenne caste þer-to Salt & Sugre, an kytte fayre paynemaynnys in round soppys, an caste þe soppys þer-on, an serue it forth for a potage.
Modern Translation
Take milk and bring it just to a boil. Separate egg yolks from the whites, pass the yolks through a strainer, and stir them into the hot milk. Return to the fire, but do not let it boil. Stir until thickened. Add salt and sugar. Cut fine white bread into rounds, place them in a dish, and pour the custard over. Serve as a pottage.
Interpreted Recipe (Serves 8)
- 6 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 8 eggs or 16 egg yolks
- 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons salt (scant)
- 8 rounds of bread (I used Rastons)
Instructions
- Mix the cream and milk in a large pot. Add sugar, salt, and eggs. Stir well.
- Cook gently over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Do not boil.
- Place 8 bread rounds into a large serving bowl or individual dishes.
- Strain the thickened custard over the bread.
- Let sit for 5–10 minutes to allow bread to absorb the custard. Serve warm.
Tasting Notes
I was unsure how this dish would be received by my bevy of taste testers, and they received it much better than I expected. There were a few surprised looks as they tested this dish. The general consensus: “It was good, but not something they would want to try again.” It’s unusual and might fall into the category of “too period to serve at feast.” I liked it—but I can say that it was not to everyone's taste. Use your best judgment.
Custards are fussy dishes that require your attention. I would serve this as a small luncheon or breakfast. To make it more familiar to modern palates, consider adding a bit of sweet powder before serving or garnishing with fruit.
Related Recipes
- Rastons – Egg-enriched bread for soaking in broth
- Soupes Dorye – Toasted bread in spiced almond milk
- Lyode Soppes – Early custard-style bread pudding
- Soupes Jamberlayne – Bread soaked in mulled wine
- Egges yn Brewte – Poached eggs in spiced broth
- Eyron en Poche – Poached eggs with herbs in sauce
- Pressmetzen zu Ostern – Spiced Lenten breakfast bread
- Spiced Apples and Pears – Stewed fruit with wine and spice
- Fennel and Bacon Bread – Rustic loaf with herbs and meat
- Frumenty and Venyson – Cracked wheat porridge with game
☕ Looking for even more morning inspiration?
Don’t miss the original article: Breakfast: Five Medieval Banquet Dishes »
