Christmas Recipes - Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

Panettone is considered one of the most luxurious items that is sold around Christmas.  Packaged in their elaborate boxes, with beautiful ornate designs, these are thought to make an unusual gift for somebody who has everything.

But panettone seems to frighten some people.  Unsure if it's a cake or a bread, or what to do with it, it can get left behind in the back of a cupboard, only to be seen again around Easter time.

Personally, I eat great slices of this on its own as a snack.  But if you're not that fussed on it, using it in a bread and butter pudding makes a lovely dessert.  I've kept this recipe light and fuss-free.  I feel that the panettone bread is lovely enough to be the star of the show, but I've made some extra decadent suggestions at the bottom.

Ingredients for Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding - serves 2 - 3

2 slices of panettone, buttered
1 tbsp sugar
450ml milk
2 eggs
1/4 fresh nutmeg

Equipment Required for Making Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

Ovenproof dish, roughly 25cm x 18cm
Saucepan

Method for Making Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

1. Grease your ovenproof dish.

2. Butter your panettone bread (if you haven't already) and cut into squares of roughly 2.5cm/1".  Arrange them in the greased ovenproof dish butter side up.  They'll need to go on top of each other to all fit in.

3. Sprinkle the sugar over the buttered panettone bread pieces.

4. Warm the milk in the saucepan, don't let it boil.  Whilst waiting, break the eggs into a pint jug or similar, and whisk thoroughly with a fork.

5. Pour the warmed milk on to the eggs, stirring the whole time.

6. Pour the warmed milk and egg mixture over the panettone bread pieces.  This will become very full, but don't worry, as the milk will be absorbed into the panettone bread mixture.

7. Grate your fresh nutmeg over the top.  

8. Turn on the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F/gas mark 4).

9. Leave the panettone bread and butter pudding mixture to stand on the side for about half an hour until the panettone bread absorbs all of the milk.  

10. Once absorbed, put the panettone bread and butter pudding mixture into the centre of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly brown on top.

Serving Suggestions for Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

Once cooked, serve hot with either vanilla ice cream, cream or custard.

Levelling Up Your Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding Game

Here's some suggestions for how to make this dessert extra special.

• Instead of using milk, use either half milk/half cream, or just substitute for cream
• Add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the egg and milk mixture, before pouring on to the panettone bread and butter squares.
• Serve with marsala ice cream, or brandy custard.

With this panettone bread and butter pudding, there's no excuse for having it lurking in the back of the cupboard anymore!  If you'd like to learn more about panettone, check out our blog post here about 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Panettone.