Panettone Bread Pudding
Panettone is a buttery bread studded with raisins and candied orange, lemon and citron peel.
Italians, especially in the north, love to eat panettone at Christmas and New Year.
Dunk panettone in your morning espresso or cappuccino. Panettone for dessert pairs well with a glass of vin santo or marsala. Leftover panettone is ideal for bread pudding or even french toast.
I didn’t have any panettone this holiday season but I couldn’t pass up buying one last week at a post-holiday 50% discount. After a few days I had my fill so I decided to use it up and made panettone bread pudding.
Bread pudding takes about 10 minutes of actual work to make. The rest of the time is just waiting for the panettone cubes to toast, then to absorb the custard mixture and bake in the oven. It’s an easy recipe with a big payoff.
My bread pudding has a rich and creamy interior with a golden, crunchy top. The buttery flavor sparkles with sweet raisins and candied orange peel. A little dark rum in the custard deepens the flavor. I had to add a dollop of freshly whipped cream to balance everything out.
Buon appetito!
- 1 Panettone (1 pound loaf) cut into cubes
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups of heavy cream, 1 for the egg custard and 1 for whipping
- 2 cups of milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark rum or ameretto
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the panettone into 1-inch cubes.
- Lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the oven until they lightly brown, about 10 minutes.
- Put the eggs, 1 cup cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and rum in a bowl large enough to hold the toasted panettone cubes.
- Beat the mixture well and add the panettone cubes and mix well. (You may need to push down on the cubes to ensure they all absorb the egg custard mixture.)
- Let the panettone cubes sit in the bowl to give them time to absorb all of the custard, about 30 minutes.
- Lightly butter a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Pour in the panettone cubes and spread them evenly in the pan.
- Bake the bread pudding in the oven until the custard is cooked through and the top has browned, about 50 minutes.
- Remove the bread pudding and set aside to cool.
- Whisk the remaining cup of heavy cream to soft, stiff peaks.
- Place a square of the bread pudding on a plate and top with a dollop of whipped cream before serving.
I made this last night and it was as easy to make as Gianni, says; not much work and no rocket science, but incredibly good, better than most desserts you’ll pay $8 a plate for at a restaurant. I use Cucina & Amore Panetonne, which by itself was quite delicious. I just hope I can find Panettone year round!
Ciao Rick. There’s always some Pannetone to be found in North Beach. If you can’t find it when you crave this dish let me know and I’ll hook you up. I’m gonna see if I can collect 8 bucks a head the next time I serve Pannetone bread pudding at my house!