Panettone Bread Pudding

Cozy winter mornings call for homemade, warm bread pudding. This Panettone bread pudding knows no bounds! It’s breakfast and dessert all wrapped up into the prettiest of holiday packages! This festive comfort food classic is custardy, rich, soft, spiced and baked to perfection! Perfect for holiday gatherings, this dish is the epitome of holiday hosting made easy! It’s simple, comforting, warming and full of holiday cheer! Put your Panettone to good use with this easy holiday recipe. One bite feels like the holidays!

My Panettone Bread Pudding is a festive twist on your classic bread pudding recipe. This bread pudding recipe uses Panettone, a sweet Italian bread, in the place of Brioche, Challah, French bread or Sourdough. Its buttery, airy and soft texture makes it the perfect base for this sweet treat. I love using a classic Panettone in this recipe. Festive additions, such as candied oranges and raisins, add citrus notes and sweetness, a chewy texture and a pop of colour to this bread pudding. Using day-old Panettone is crucial to achieving a custard-like, soft and tender bread pudding! Its drier and sturdier consistency is perfect for absorbing the rich custard without making the bread pudding mushy or soggy.

Only have unboxed, fresh Panettone handy?! Don’t fret. You can make Panettone bread pudding ready with the help of your oven. Simply cut the Panettone into cubes, place them onto a baking sheet and bake at a low temperature until they dry out. It’s as easy as that!

Bread pudding wouldn’t be a bread pudding without a flavourful, luxurious and rich custard. My custard recipe consists of whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar and aromatics. I love using a combination of milk and cream as it gives the custard a more balanced flavour and consistency. Whole milk adds a delicate and subtle flavour while heavy cream imparts the creaminess and richness that one expects from a custard. Eggs serve as a setting agent, giving the custard a smooth and velvety consistency. A combination of whole eggs, and some extra egg yolks, gives this bread pudding a richer flavour! Granulated sugar, dark rum, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon are added to the mix, imparting bold, floral, citrus and sweet notes to this custard. All the ingredients combine and set the stage for an aromatic, fruity, moist, rich, soft, sweet, tender and satisfying spoonful!

Now, for the fun part! The Panettone is added to the baking dish, and the custard is poured over top. Before baking, it is essential that you let the bread pudding stand for at least 20 minutes to give the Panettone time to absorb all of that beautiful custard. Then, into the oven it goes, and the waiting game begins! As the bread pudding bakes it fills the kitchen with a warm, sweet and spicy aroma, reminiscent of the holidays! The result - a Panettone Bread Pudding with crispy edges, a soft center and all the holiday vibes. It’s the ultimate treat best served warm during the holidays! Enjoy it as is or indulge with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream!

Nothing says Christmas and the holidays like a warm, baked dessert. This cozy recipe couldn’t be easier to make, uses a handful of simple ingredients and comes together in under one hour. Whether you enjoy it for breakfast, dessert or as a snack, you really can’t go wrong! My Panettone Bread Pudding is a crowd pleaser. Serve it warm and watch it disappear! So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!

For more fun and exciting holiday recipes, try my Brie Christmas Tree Appetizers, Pigs in a Blanket Holiday Wreath, Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Roasted Turkey and Classic Borscht recipes!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 - 50 minutes

Total Time: 50 - 55 minutes

Serves: 8 - 10

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs

• 2 large egg yolks

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 3 ½ cups whole milk

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 1 ½ Tbsp dark rum

• Zest of 1 large orange (approx. 1 Tbsp)

• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp kosher salt

• 12 cups (800g) day-old, gluten-free or regular Panettone, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes (See Notes below)

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

• ½ Tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

• Sweetened whipping cream, as a topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Grease a 9” x 13” ceramic baking dish with butter and set aside.

2. To a large bowl, add the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar and whisk for 1 minute or until the mixture is pale in colour and light and fluffy. Then, add the milk, cream, rum, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Add the Panettone to the greased baking dish, spreading it evenly over the base. Pour the custard over top, ensuring that the Panettone is evenly coated. Using a spatula, press the Panettone into the custard ever so slightly.

4. Preheat the oven to 350F and while the oven preheats, let the bread pudding mixture stand for 20 – 30 minutes.

5. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until the Panettone Bread Pudding has set and is golden-brown in colour. You know your bread pudding has cooked through when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Alternatively, when using a digital thermometer, the internal temperature of the cooked bread pudding should register at 170F (77C).

6. Remove the Panettone Bread Pudding from the oven and let it stand for at least 15 minutes.  

7. Dust with icing sugar and cut it into desired slices.

8. Enjoy it warm as is or top each slice with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Notes:

1. Fresh Panettone: If you’re unboxing a Panettone to make this recipe, drying out the dessert bread is crucial. Traditional bread pudding uses day-old or slightly stale bread. Dry bread soaks up the custard, producing bread pudding that is moist and tender without being soggy! To mimic day-old bread, simply cut the Panettone into cubes and dry it out in the oven. Preheat the oven to 325F and place the Panettone onto a 11” x 17” rimmed baking sheet, ensuring it is evenly distributed over the base of the pan. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the Panettone is slightly firm to the touch and dry or crisp. Set the Panettone aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding it to the greased baking dish.

2. The Variety of Panettone Matters: Panettoni come in a variety of flavours and sizes. This recipe calls for a classic 800g Panettone. A classic Panettone is typically studded with candied citrus, such as lemon or orange, and raisins. Other classic varieties may include chopped nuts or chocolate chips. Avoid using Panettoni with creamy filings, such as pistachio or hazelnut cream, pastry cream, Mascarpone or ricotta, or chocolate spread as this will lead to a looser bread pudding.