Infusing cereal flavors into liquids

[Shalmanese]

I want to make a gingerbread creme brulee tomorrow for a party. I've infused the cream with the dominant spice flavors of gingerbread but it doesn't pop like I want it to so I want to add in some of the toasted breadiness as well but without affecting the texture of the cream.

What would be the best way to add "bread" flavor to cream without having starch leech out? Would the same principle apply for other starch/liquid infusions?

[Tri2Cook]

I just toast gingerbread and infuse that along with some toasted whole spices and some fresh ginger but I've never used it for creme brulee, just ice cream.

[nakji]

How about barley tea? It tastes like toast - can you use a bag of that and infuse it in the cream? Korean grocers usually sell boxes of it quite cheap.

[mkayahara]

Shalmanese, is it that you're worried about the starch thickening the creme brulee base? If so, I wonder whether a little extra toasting on the gingerbread would help, since cooked flour has substantially less thickening power than raw. I imagine if the gingerbread is cooked enough, the thickening power of any starch that leaches out should be minimal. But that's just a guess.