Panettone Bread Pudding

A twist on two classic desserts that's perfect for the holidays! Bready Italian panettone is soaked in a boozy, spiced, custardy mixture and baked into a flavourful, simple bread pudding, then topped off with a rum crème anglaise.

Variations are provided for using other bread bases (e.g. challah).

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British, Canadian, Italian, Miscellaneous

Keyword christmas pudding, holiday bread pudding

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 1

Total Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 463kcal

Equipment

9x13 baking dish (or roughly similar size)
Double boiler or nesting heat-proof pots/bowls (see note)
Immersion blender (optional but handy)

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

9 cups panettone cubed (~600 g) (see note)
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas (see note)
3 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 cup rum (see note for omissions or variations)
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter for greasing the pan

Rum Crème Anglaise

3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp rum

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Panettone Bread Pudding

Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, spices, salt, and rum.
Combine the panettone and the raisins in a large bowl, then add the egg/milk mixture. Gently combine, then let stand for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Melt the butter and use it to brush a 9x13 baking dish (or similarly large dish).
Pour the soaked bread mixture into the greased baking dish. Spread evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, or until set but still springy in the center. Turn the oven off, but open the door slightly and leave the bread pudding in the warm oven for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm, with sauce.

Rum Crème Anglaise

Prepare a double-boiler (see note for options).
Combine egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and rum in a bowl, then set aside. If you plan to use an immersion blender (see below), use a container that will fit your blender.
Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir regularly to prevent the milk and cream from scorching. Heat until the mixtures is steaming and nearly starting to simmer.
Immersion blender method: slowly pour the hot milk and cream into the egg yolk mixture while running the immersion blender. Continue blending until the ingredients are fully combined.
Hand-whisk method: slowly pour the hot milk and cream into a bowl with the egg yolk mixture while whisk vigorously. Working slowly and whisking constantly, continue until the ingredients are fully combined. Strain out any lumps or bits of scrambled egg, if necessary.
Add the mixture to the prepared double-boiler. Cook, stirring slowly but constantly, for 10-12 minutes (less for a thinner sauce, more for a thicker sauce).

Notes

Panettone Notes

It's best to start with a basic, classic panettone (i.e. one with dried fruits only). Other flavoured types could be tried, but will obviously change the profile of the finished desert.

Note that this recipe does not call for much added sugar, as most commercial panettone recipes are already fairly sweet. If your panettone is less sweet, you may want to add more sugar. Taste test your panettone to see how sweet it is and adjust the added sugar if needed.

Note that the 9 cups (600 g) called for in the recipe assumes that you're starting with a fairly fresh (and therefore moist) panettone. If the panettone is somewhat stale or dry, use about one cup less.

Bread Substitute

If you don't have a panettone, you can make this as a standard bread pudding by substituting challah or a similar light, rich bread. Fresh (i.e. not dry) bread will substitute directly for panettone, but if you use a stale or dry loaf you'll most likely need to reduce the amount of bread needed to soak up the liquid ingredients. You'll also want to add more raisins and/or other dried fruits (e.g. candied citrus), and more sugar (I would start with an additional 1/4 cup).

Raisins

Classic panettones will generally already include raisins, but I do like adding extra to this recipe. If your panettone doesn't include raisins, I would double the quantity called for in the recipe. Alternatively, you could use a different dried fruit like cranberries or cherries to switch up the flavour profile.

Rum Substitutions and Variations

If you want to change things up a bit, you can substitute bourbon, port, brandy, sherry, or marsala for the rum at the same quantity.

If you want to cook without using alcohol, you can omit the rum entirely and add 1/4 cup milk and 1-2 tbsps rum extract (note that some rum extracts also contain alcohol).

When making the crème anglaise, you can likewise substitute with bourbon (etc.), or use about 1 tsp of rum extract, or simply omit the alcohols for a plain crème anglaise.

Zabaglione Variation

For a more Italian twist on the custard topping, try a marsala-infused zabaglione in place of the crème anglaise.

Double-boiler

If you don't have a dedicated double-boiler, don't worry. Simply fill a medium saucepan with water, then float a smaller heat-proof bowl or saucepan inside this. Heat the larger pot on the stove so that the water is quite hot, but not at a rolling boil. Make sure the outer pot isn't too large, or it becomes easy to tip and/or spill the contents of the inner one into the hot water.

You can also cook the crème anglaise directly on the stove over very low heat, but it's much more difficult to prevent burning and/or clumping of the sauce.

Nutrition