Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

This is the ultimate Bread and Butter Pudding, where the specialty bread contains all the flavour that you would usually need to add to the dish. So whenever Panettone are around, particularly at Christmas, I always plan this dessert for either one of the Christmas gatherings or a special birthday party soon after – like our family friend Gael Brook who adores this pudding, one of her favourites.

It is also super easy to prepare and can be cooked in advance and reheated- very handy for the chaos of Christmas festivities!

Pictured: Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

4 eggs
160g caster sugar
570 ml milk
570 ml double cream - not thickened
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
1 Panettone* - cut into thick 2cm slices and buttered on each side
Zest of 1 orange or mandarin, or 1 tsp orange blossom water
4 tbsp Cognac/Brandy
A little icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 160 °C/ 325 °F/Gas 3

Whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale. Add the milk, cream, vanilla, Cognac and orange zest/orange blossom water – mix to incorporate. The mixture will be very runny, do not worry it will thicken in the oven.

Layer the panettone slices into a buttered baking dish. Pour the custard slowly over the bread.

You can make 1 large pudding, 2 smaller ones or individual ones, just fill the custard up to 1 cm below the top. Give the dish a good tilt to the right and left to make sure the custard has reached the centre of the dish at the bottom.

Place the dish in a roasting pan and fill halfway with hot water. Sprinkle with the icing sugar and bake for about 45 minutes, until there is a nice crust on top.

You can also cook the pudding(s) in advance and reheat gently in a slow oven (140°C) for 1/2 hour just prior to serving.

Serve with ice-cream or cream.

Serves 8

*Panettone - is a typical bread of Milan containing candied orange, raisins, citron and lemon zest, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Italy and Switzerland. The proofing process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics.

Pictured: Panettone