Name: Panettone Bread Pudding Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds (675g) of Panettone Bread; 12 eggs; 1/3 cup (65g) sugar; 2 cups (475ml) heavy cream; 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla; 2 tsp (10 ml) nutmeg; ¾ tsp (3.75ml) cloves; 1 tsp (1 tsp) ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp (1.25ml) salt; Powdered sugar for dusting; 2 cups (475ml) heavy cream; 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract; 2 tbsp (30 ml) bourbon OR; Omit the Bourbon and use 1 tsp (5 ml) Imitation Rum Extract

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This Panettone Bread Pudding Recipe is one of my favorite holiday recipes for a quick, easy, and delicious dessert. The warm, custardy base, mixed with the crispy, toasty bread, is the most delicious way to end a festive meal. When served with a dollop of lightly sweetened, bourbon-spiked whipped cream, this bread pudding dessert becomes an instant holiday classic.

For a lighter take on bread pudding, try my Croissant Bread Pudding recipe. Equally easy and equally delicious!

Panettone Bread Pudding on a serving on a plate with whipped cream and casserole in the background

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The best part about bread pudding is that it appears very sophisticated and elegant (who doesn’t love a warm dessert in the wintertime?!), but it’s such an easy dessert to whip together.
The dried fruits in the panettone do all the work for you! You only need to whip up the egg base and make the whipped cream.
It can also be prepped ahead of time!

Ingredients:

Panettone Bread: Is a sweet brioche bread from Italy. Look for the type of panettone that has all the bells and whistles. Traditional panettone should be filled with raisins, candied ginger, orange zest, and other ingredients. The best panettone will be imported from Italy. The more “fully loaded” it is, the more flavor your bread pudding will have. You can use any leftover panettone for a Panettone French toast the next day. It’s fantastic with a little drizzle of maple syrup over the top.
Large Eggs: This recipe calls for a full dozen eggs, which give it a deliciously custardy texture.
Sugar: I use white sugar because it dissolves easily into the custard mixture, helping prevent a grainy texture in bread pudding. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking, but I prefer to add only 1/3 cup of sugar because panettone already has a nice sweetness.
Heavy Cream: Use heavy cream over milk for the best structure and texture. You’ll also use it for the bourbon-scented whipped cream.
Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Avoid anything labeled imitation.
Ground Nutmeg, Ground Cloves, and Ground Cinnamon are the three spices I love to include in this recipe because they truly define the holidays and give this dessert a very festive flavor!
Salt: I prefer kosher salt for the best flavor. The salt will help enhance the flavors of the panettone and the spices.
Powdered Sugar: for dusting on top of the bread pudding after it’s baked for a pretty wintery finish. You’ll also use it in the whipped cream.
Bourbon is added to the whipped cream for a lovely holiday flavor. Frangelico liqueur is also delicious for its nutty hazelnut flavor. If you don‘t drink, you can swap it out for almond extract instead.

panettone cut into cubes on a cutting board.

What to Serve Before Bread Pudding?

If you’re serving bread pudding for dessert, plan your holiday meal accordingly, because bread pudding is filling! It’s best not to serve another heavy starch or bread at dinner.
A perfect main course with this dessert would be my Beef Bourguignon, Salmon and Beurre Blanc Sauce or my Coq au Vin recipe.
These dishes are mostly protein and vegetables so they tend not to be overly filling. Then you can reserve the starch for the finishing act, which I must say is quite a showstopper!

Panettone Bread Pudding Recipe with homemade whipped cream

Step#1: Cut the Panettone into Cubes

Cut the panettone into bread cubes and place in 12″ x 9″ (30 cm x23 cm) baking dish sprayed with baking spray.
Allow it to rest in the baking dish while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
This will allow it to dry a bit, helping it keep its shape as it soaks up the custard.

Step#2: Mix the Custard Base

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and spices.
Pour the bread cubes into the bowl and toss to coat the cubes with the custard.
Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared casserole.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is even better for the best texture!
It will have a lot of liquid at this stage, but soaking overnight will also allow the panettone to soak up the excess egg batter.

Bread and custard base in a baking dish ready for the oven.

Step#3: Bake the Bread Pudding

Bake the bread pudding for 30 minutes, covered, then uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes, until it puffs up and turns golden brown.
Press the pudding gently to ensure no uncooked egg mixture remains.
Allow to cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar.

The Game Plan

1 DAY AHEAD

Ideally, you want to prep this the day before, to allow the bread cubes to soak up all that delicious custard overnight, but 4 hours will work too.
Assemble the bread pudding in a baking dish, cover and place in the refrigerator.
Then, as soon as you sit down to dinner, pop it in the oven and bake.
You can also make the whipped cream a day ahead, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

a serving of breadpudding on an aniqure plate with a fork and softly whipped cream

Serving/Storage Suggestions

It takes about 40 minutes to bake in the oven, so if you want to keep it warm while clearing the dishes after it’s baked, just cover loosely with foil and keep warm at 200°F (100°C) until ready to serve.
To serve slice into 9 sqaures and place on a plate.
Then dollop the softly whipped cream on the side. Just don’t whip the cream into too stiff peaks. The dessert will present better when the cream is just softly whipped and can cascade down the side of each serving. Or you could also serve vanilla ice cream instead with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Cover and refrigerate any leftover bread pudding.
To reheat, warm in the microwave for 1:00.

More Holiday Dessert Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Gingerbread Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Christmas Cake with Kirsch Cherries

French Chocolate Mousse Cake