Boyacá-Style Bread Soup in Cazuela

Boyacá-style bread soup in cazuela is a traditional preparation served in individual clay bowls, with day-old bread, cheese, egg, and heavy cream over a milk-and-broth base. It’s a hearty recipe, meant to be served as a full meal.

Unlike other Colombian “bread soups” assembled in layers inside a single pot, this version is built and cooked in individual portions, right in each diner’s own cazuela.

Boyacá-Style Bread Soup in Cazuela

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Recetas123
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: Colombian

Print Recipe

---

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk
• 4 cups basic broth
• 4 calados (toasted bread rounds), broken into pieces
• 3 almojábanas, sliced (stale, if possible)
• 8 thin slices white cheese
• 1 pound (500 g) yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¼ pound (125 g) butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 8 tablespoons heavy cream
• 8 raw eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the basic broth

• 16 cups water
• 1½ pounds (750 g) porous bones, preferably hip bones
• 1 pound (500 g) beef, cut into pieces
• 4 green onion stalks (cebolla larga)
• 1 small bunch of thyme, oregano, and bay leaf
• Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
• Optional: 2 pounds (1 kg) beef ribs, chopped, instead of the bones and the meat

---

Preparation

1. Prepare the basic broth. Put the bones and the meat (or the ribs) in the cold water with the whole green onions, the bunch of herbs, the pepper, and the cumin, and boil for 1 hour over high heat. Add the salt at the end; the broth should be very rich. Let it cool, skim off the fat if you wish, and remove the onions. Use 4 cups for the soup and set the rest aside.
2. Make the sauté. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until golden.
3. Heat the base in each cazuela. In each of the 8 individual cazuelas, add ½ cup milk, ½ cup basic broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
4. Assemble the cazuelas. Add portions of the calados, almojábanas, and a slice of cheese to each of the 8 cazuelas. Divide all of the sautéed onion and garlic evenly among the 8 cazuelas, and divide the 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro among them as well. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
5. Add the egg and finish. Add one raw egg to each cazuela. Divide the 8 tablespoons of heavy cream evenly among the 8 cazuelas, spooning it over the egg. Lower the heat and cook until the egg reaches your preferred doneness. Serve piping hot.

Chef’s Tips

• Use day-old bread (calados and almojábanas) so it absorbs the liquid without falling apart completely.
• Sauté the onion and garlic separately so they don’t end up raw inside the cazuela.
• Lower the heat when adding the egg so it cooks evenly without a hard boil.

Traditional Variations

• There is another family of Boyacá “bread soups” assembled in layers inside a single pot, with ripe plantain, pork, and curd cheese, different from this cazuela version.
• Some families use extra calados instead of almojábana, or farmer’s cheese instead of white cheese.

Traditional Serving Method

Serve piping hot, right in the individual cazuela it was cooked in.

Recommended Side Dishes

• Fresh avocado
• Colombian ají sauce
• Hot chocolate

Did You Know?

“Calados” are slices of toasted bread typical of the Cundiboyacense highlands, used as a base in several traditional soups from the region, including this bread soup in cazuela.