Servings: 4
Time: 45 min
Diet: Veg
An easy afternoon treat
If you have some panettone in the cupboard and struggling to find delicious ways to use it up in , look no further than this simple but fancy twist on a classic bread and butter pudding. With a dollop of sweet mascarpone, fresh fruit, and crunchy almonds, this easy afternoon treat is bound to hit the spot.
Using a traditional Italian specialty, we’ve come up with this simple recipe to enhance the sweet and fruity bread, turning it into an easy but indulgent dessert.
What is Panettone?
The birthplace of panettone is Milan, Italy. The two most distinctive features of panettone are its height and dome shape, and despite being predominantly associated with Christmas, panettone is much more than a seasonal, sweet bread.
Similar to brioche, panettone combines the sweetness of its dried and candied fruit with a moist cake consistency and delicate bread texture to form this incredibly versatile loaf. It’s commonly enjoyed toasted with breakfast spreads, on its own, or traditionally gifted throughout the festive season in Italy. It makes a popular gift because of its intricate baking process – good quality panettone is very difficult to make by hand and takes a lot of time, care, and effort to perfect, making it a very thoughtful gifting option.
Fun fact: Panettone is widely thought of as cake due to its sweetness, but it’s actually sourdough bread.
Making Panettone
The authenticity of panettone is very important in Italy, and to be classed as genuine and distinguished from its lookalikes, it must be made with natural yeast known as “lievito madre”. This is an aged sourdough starter that is maintained daily. It elongates the baking process but gives panettone its tangy flavour and softness and increases its shelf life.
Making panettone by hand is traditional in Italy, but it’s a lengthy process that requires a lot of skill and experience. From the mixing and resting to the baking, panettone takes around three days to complete.
Raw panettone dough is bright yellow, soft, and gooey. Its elasticity is the special quality that helps it grow to large sizes without breaking.
When finished, panettone is hung upside down to cool. This prevents it from collapsing and helps maintain its soft and fluffy texture.
Easy Panettone Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
50g softened butter
250g mini Panettone
2 eggs
140ml double cream
225ml milk (of your choice)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp mascarpone
50g flaked almonds (optional)
Dusting of icing sugar (optional)
Fresh forest fruits (optional)
Cooking method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3 and grease a large, shallow oven dish with a little bit of butter. Cut the panettone into wedges.
2. Butter the panettone wedges, then cut them in half and arrange them in the baking dish, buttered side up.
Top tip: If you have a particularly sweet tooth, you can also spread the slices with a thin layer of your favourite jam!
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, double cream, milk, vanilla extract, and sugar together until combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the panettone and sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.
4. Place the baking dish in a larger roasting tin, making sure that there’s a gap between the 2 dishes all the way around. Pour hot water into the roasting tin to submerge the baking dish approximately halfway up.
5. Place the panettone in the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the pudding has set. It should be yellow on the inside, and golden brown on top.
6. Once the pudding is done, remove and serve with a dusting of icing sugar, a spoonful of mascarpone, and a few fresh forest fruits on the side.
In Italy, it’s common to serve panettone with sweet or rich and creamy ingredients, so the mascarpone is perfect. Although, a good alternative is some good quality vanilla ice cream (a dairy-free option can be used here).
Why not give this indulgent dessert a go and enjoy it with a glass of fruity wine on a hot summer’s day!