Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding – Easy Christmas Dessert

I adore bread and butter pudding and of course with Christmas on the way I had to make it with Panettone. It’s so fruity with a smooth homemade custard and has a delicious toasted flavour too. Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding is a wonderful winter dessert or Christmas pudding. It’s a family favourite dessert in our house and a brilliant Christmas bake. The Christmas spices in the custard add some lovely warmth and flavour to the finished baked dessert.

AD This recipe is in partnership with Le Creuset. Recipe and opinions are my own.

Freshly served when still warm and with a dusting of icing sugar on top. I think this looks incredible. The softer bread has absorbed the custard beautifully. I think we all had double portions it was so addictive. The fruity Panettone Bread adds that extra level of delicious fruit to the final dish which is divine. I think the red plate for serving makes it even more Christmassy.

Serving the Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding on a Le Creuset plate

The plate is from the dining section of Le Creuset. These beautiful plates are available in the iconic colours and come with a beautiful glaze and a stylish three-ring pattern boarder. They are also dishwasher-proof which we can all agree makes them more desirable. This is the side dish which is 22cm across and are £14 each. It sounds expensive but I’ve found for the design, colour and strength it’s worth it. They will last a long time and feel strong. Each one is heavier than you would think too. These are made to last. Find more about them on the Le Creuset plates.

The Christmas Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding was cooked in the Le Creuset medium rectangular stoneware. It’s a versatile oven proof dish which is fantastic for cooking everything from roasts to pudding but also is a very popular presentation bowl for our family too.

Chocolate panettone bread and butter pudding

Although I used classic panettone for this recipe using chocolate chip panettone makes incredible chocolate panettone bread and butter pudding too. You can create a chocolate panettone bread and butter pudding using the same recipe as below but either adding your own chocolate chips in or using a panettone ready-made with chocolate. Both will work and both will taste incredible. Scroll down for the recipe!

How to make Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding – step by step

To make the custard place the whole milk in a saucepan.

Add in the double cream to the milk.

Slice a vanilla pod in half, scrape out the centre and add the centre and pod to the cream and milk mix.

Place on a medium heat and stir as it comes up to a boil. Take it off the heat before it boils. Allow to cool slightly.

In a bow whisk the eggs and extra yolk with the caster sugar.

Slowly pour the warm milk and cream mixture over the eggs, stirring constantly until smooth.

Grease a large ovenproof dish. I either use melted butter and pastry brush to paint it on or use a piece of kitchen paper with some soft butter I rub over.

Slice the Panettone. I left the crust on as it’s so soft and leaves a little crust which adds some crunch to the softness of the final pudding.

Butter each side of the bread.

Lay the slices up in the oven proof dish.

Pour the warm mix over the pudding. (remove the vanilla pod)

Grate some orange zest over the top and leave to soak for at least 30 mins.

Heat oven to 180C (160C fan). Bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown.

Serve straight away. P.s. if serving with a sprig of holly for a festive feel – don’t eat the holly.

How to make a bread and butter pudding

The slices of Christmas Panettone bread and butter pudding are stacked up with corners up. I used a mix of the soft insides or crust so the finished pudding would have a nice range of textures. Some people really love the crusts as they go crisper and have a little more bite. Other pieces of bread absorb a bit more custard so are softer and squidgy in a great way. The custard is the hardest thing to make for this and even that is really simple. Just don’t leave it alone otherwise it might boil instead of slowly warm.

The first time I ever saw a panettone bread and butter pudding was watching Nigel Slater make panettone bread and butter pudding or talking about it. I can’t really remember but hearing about the mix of my favourite Panettone and custard to make a hot Christmas dessert sounded so amazing. Since then I have I have been practising and refining my recipe.

Can you freeze panettone bread and butter pudding?

The great thing about bread and butter pudding is that it not only tastes amazing but can be frozen. You can freeze it either before it’s cooked or once it’s cooked. I would recommend once it’s cooked as it holds together and the flavour is more intense and delicious. It can freeze for a few months. I would say 3 months max.

To reheat it once it’s been frozen. Allow to defrost and pop it back in the oven and cook for 15 minutes to warm it back at 180ºC. It should be pipping hot. You can also pop it in the microwave and cook it on high in short bursts to get it to pipping hot. If you want to make it a Christmas bread and butter pudding you can make it ahead and store it in the fridge just waiting to be reheated for the family.

Do you put butter on panettone?

When normally enjoying it you can, of course, put butter on panettone. A fresh slice buttered is a lovely treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. You can also toast panettone and put butter on it. The butter will soak through and it will be a lovely warm thing to enjoy. Toasted panettone with jam is also very much worth having. The warm sweet bread with sweet fruity jam is lovely. Toasted panettone with ice cream is also really yummy.

Why is my bread and butter pudding watery?

If you find your bread and butter pudding is watery it could be that you haven’t left it in the oven long enough to cook the custard fully. It is also a good idea to let the bread and custard sit for 30 minutes before cooking so it soaks in. This resting time is crucial for a delicious and well cooked bread and butter pudding.

Can you keep bread and butter pudding?

Bread and butter puddings keeps really well for a few days (about 4 days) in the fridge. It is freezes well too so you can make a large one and freeze portions to enjoy later. To reheat the bread and butter pudding from the fridge pop it in the microwave and cook in 30 second bursts. It should be pipping hot. You can enjoy it cold too but it’s delicious either way.

Why is Panettone eaten at Christmas?

Panettone was traditionally eaten at Christmas and New Year in Italy and was it was a way of showing your wealth. Affording the dried fruits and spices was a luxury and for many years it was made at Christmas as a seasonal treat. When the prices of the ingredients dropped it was able to be enjoyed by more people and the Christmas tradition continued with a wider audience.

Orange Bread and Butter Pudding

One way I love making this Panettone bread and butter pudding even more special is by adding orange zest. By adding orange zest to the top of the bread as the custard is soaking in you get that even more lovely aromas and flavours of oranges in the finished baked dessert.

What is the best way to eat panettone?

There are so many ways to eat panettone. The best way to eat it I believe is just pulled apart with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. The second best is definitely this Panettone bread and butter pudding. Keep scrolling down for the recipe. Other things you can do with panettone is to toast the bread and top with ice cream or cream. With that you can add warm fruits or fruit compotes.

Top tips for bread and butter pudding

The top tip I have for making the perfect bread and butter pudding is making sure you butter both sides of the bread before you add it to the ovenproof dish. By buttering both sides of the panettone slices you are protecting the bread from toasting too much but also keeping the bread moist and soft when it comes out of the oven.

Can bread and butter pudding be reheated?

Bread and butter pudding can easily be reheated. It will last a few days if kept in the fridge once cold. To reheat the panettone bread and butter pudding pop the portion you want in a microwave. Cover with cling film or a bowl with a gap and cook in short sharp bursts. I do about 30 seconds at a time until it is pipping hot and ready to eat again.

Check out my list of the top items from Le Creuset for Christmas.

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Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding

Sisley White

I adore bread and butter pudding and of course with Christmas on the way I had to make it with Panettone. It's so fruity with a smooth homemade custard and has a delicious toasted flavour too. Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding is a wonderful winter dessert or Christmas pudding. It's a family favourite dessert in our house and a brilliant Christmas bake. The Christmas spices in the custard add some lovely warmth and flavour to the finished baked dessert.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

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Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine English

Servings 8 portions

Calories 256 kcal

Equipment

• Medium sized oven proof dish
• saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• whisk
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

 

UK (Metric)Convert to US Measures

 

1x2x3x

• 300 ml full fat milk
• 300 ml double cream / heavy cream
• 1 vanilla pod
• 3 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons caster sugar / superfine sugar
• 1 large Panettone
• 50 g salted butter softened plus extra for greasing

Instructions

 

• To make the custard place the whole milk in a saucepan.
  
• Add in the double cream to the milk.
  
• Slice a vanilla pod in half, scrape out the centre and add the centre and pod to the cream and milk mix.
  
• Place on a medium heat and stir as it comes up to a boil. Take it off the heat before it boils. Allow to cool slightly.
  
• In a bow whisk the eggs and extra yolk with the caster sugar.
  
• Slowly pour the warm milk and cream mixture over the eggs, stirring constantly until smooth.
  
• Grease a large ovenproof dish. I either use melted butter and pastry brush to paint it on or use a piece of kitchen paper with some soft butter I rub over.
  
• Slice the Panettone into chunky slices about 1.5cm thick. I left the crust on as it's so soft and leaves a little crust which adds some crunch to the softness of the final pudding.
  
• Butter each side of the bread.
  
• Lay the slices up in the oven proof dish.
  
• Pour the warm custard mix over the pudding. (remove the vanilla pod)
  
• Grate some orange zest over the top and leave to soak for at least 30 mins.
  
• Heat oven to 180C (160C fan). Bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown.
  
• Serve straight away.
  

Notes

Keep any leftovers in the fridge and eat within a few days.

Add chocolate chips or use chocolate panettone to give it a great chocolate taste.

Freeze before or after cooking if making it ahead.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 5gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 118mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 890IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1mg

Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Keyword Christmas Baking Recipes, Christmas bread and butter pudding, Christmas Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding, Christmas recipes, panetton pudding recipes, Panettone, Panettone pudding recipe, winter dessert

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