Bread Pudding with PanneTtone Bread
Try this decadent bread pudding made with pannettone bread for your next dinner party or special event with friends and family.
What is a Bread Pudding made with pannettone?
This is yet another one of my “I’ve been making this dish forever” recipes. Since the 1990’s. The original recipe came from Southern Living Magazine back in the late 1990’s. But over time, I found the pudding lackluster and too blah. I thought Italian pannettone, filled with dried fruits like currants and slightly sweet would make a fantastic filling for this recipe.
I serve it with a vanilla bourbon sauce. Click HERE for the recipe.
Pannettone bread pudding is a perfect make ahead dish. It is best when the custard can soak into the bread overnight. I love to make this when I’m entertaining because I can assemble everything the day before (a life saver when entertaining) and bake the bread pudding and warm the sauce just before serving. The smells coming from your oven will create a buzz for certain. I would serve this dish only when we had a lighter entree such as salad, chicken or shrimp. This is rich dessert to be certain. I buried the calorie count at the very bottom of the post.
Ingredients in this recipe:
- 1 loaf of Pannettone sweet Italian bread (see notes on where to buy)
- unsalted butter
- 9 large egg yolks
- light brown sugar
- sugar
- nutmeg
- heavy cream
- whole milk
- vanilla paste
- salt
- bourbon vanilla sauce- get the recipe HERE
How to prepare this Pannettone Bread Pudding:
- assemble all your ingredients and read this recipe through twice.
- toast cubes of pannettone in the oven
- place bread cubes in a buttered casserole- reserve about a cup and a half of toasted bread cubes
- make a custard with egg yolks, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, milk, cream and sugars
- pour custard over toasted bread cubes
- top with reserved bread cubes, sprinkle with extra butter and melted butter
- let rest for 30 minutes
- bake and serve with bourbon sauce
- for overnight/make ahead version- read the full recipe below for how to prepare in advance.
There are several reasons your pudding is dry:
Your oven temperature may be too hot. Use an oven thermometer when baking.
Be certain to REDUCE the oven temperature after you remove the foil.
Measure the liquid ingredients properly. Use a glass pyrex measuring cup, not a dry measuring cup.
The size of your egg yolks were not LARGE.
Bread pudding soaked too long. 8 hours is the max time.
Yes- line the slow cooker with a foil collar, spray the interior of your slow cooker well with cooking spray. Cook the bread and custard mixture on low for 3-4 hours. Remove the collar, discard it and serve the pudding warm.
The pudding has not cooked long enough. Cover with foil. Return to the oven until the internal temp reads 170 degrees.
No- you can serve with jarred caramel sauce, ice cream (vanilla or salted caramel would be great) or just alone.
Place in a smaller glass container- covered and store in the fridge up to three days.
Where do I buy Pannettone bread?
- Most grocery stores Whole Foods, Publix, Met Market, Wegmans, etc. carry it from Thanksgiving through New Years. I always buy 1- 2 extra loaves, wrap in plastic and foil and freeze.
- Buy online at specialty Italian shoppes like- Supermarketitaly.com, Di Bruno Bros. , Mazzaro’s Market , Fabbri
- Discount shops like Home Goods even carry Pannettone during the holidays.
Equipment and utensils needed for this Pannettone Bread Pudding:
- Large mixing bowl
- rimmed baking sheet
- 9 x 13 baking dish
- instant read thermometer
- large spoon for serving
Other decadent desserts to try:
- 6 spice gingerbread cake
- Candied hazelnut affogato
- Plum galette
- Double chocolate bundt cake with chocolate glaze
- Florida Grapefruit & Cointreau Golden Cake
Bread Pudding with Pannettone Bread
Course: Holiday Baking, Sweet Tooth10
servings45
minutes50
minutes492
kcalIngredients
1 loaf Pannetone sweet Italian bread- 2lb loaf
9 large egg yolks, beaten
2 cups heavy cream
2 TBSP light brown sugar
1 cup sugar, plus 1 TBSP
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
Directions
- Cut the bread into large cubes. Place on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 at 325 degrees or until brown and crusty. Set aside to cool completely. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of bread cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine light brown sugar, 1 cup of granulated sugar, egg yolks, nutmeg and vanilla. Stir in cream and whole milk. Set aside.
- To Bake Once Assembled:**
- Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Place toasted pannetone in the prepared baking dish. Pour the cream mixture over tossing gently to coat the bread completely. Press the bread down until it is completely saturated. Add the reserved bread cubes, sprinkle with 1 TBSP reserved sugar. Dot with melted butter. Proceed to Step # 3.
- Overnight Method:
- Once bread pudding is assembled, cover tightly with foil and let rest in the fridge overnight or up to 8 hours.
- Prior to baking, remove foil, add reserved bread cubes to the top of the pudding. Sprinkle with 1 TBSP reserved sugar, dot with melted butter. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Pre- heat oven to 375 degrees. Keep bread pudding covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350 and bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes or until the custard is set and an instant read thermometer reads 170 degrees.
- Let rest (covered) on a wire rack for 30 minutes prior to serving.
- Serve warm with Bourbon vanilla sauce poured over.
- Serves 8-10.
