Vanilla Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding is a sumptuous celebratory twist on a classic British pudding. The rich but airy Italian festive bread is full of delicious Christmas flavours. I’ve added fabulous, fragrant vanilla and decadent chocolate for the most indulgent pudding of the season.
Everything You Need To Know
Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding
Bread and butter pudding really is one of the simplest, yet most delicious of traditional British puddings. A classic waste-not-want-not recipe, it is the taste of home that really makes the heart sing.
Our great grandmothers really knew what they were doing when they came up with dishes like this. While other baked custards can be fiddly to make, all you need to do here is mix the wet ingredients, then pour over the bread. Once the vanilla custard mix is on the bread, butter and fruit, it just cooks in the oven.
Using panettone makes for a really indulgent pudding. Feathery light and airy, packed with fruit and spices, it’s a wonderful Christmas treat. I’ve gone further and added some authentic gourmet vanilla extract and dark chocolate for good measure.
Why Make Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding
- This is a seriously easy recipe with barely any prep!
- Delicious twist on a classic
- Really good to feed a crowd – one big dish, served family style
- Adaptable – you can change the flavours.
- Uses everyday ingredients from your regular supermarket.
Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding Ingredients
- Panettone – About 5 generous slices or about 300g. Any Panettone will do, fruit or chocolate.
- Vanilla Extract – Always use a good vanilla extract for the best flavour. Extract is the real thing, while essence can often be synthetic. I have used Nielsen-Massey Gourmet Vanilla Extract, which is one of my favourites. You can also use Vanilla Bean Paste.
- Butter – Regular butter, salted or unsalted.
- Cream – Double / heavy cream
- Milk – Any milk will do: full, semi or skimmed. It does not matter which you choose.
- Eggs – regular eggs, medium or large. The recipe is flexible enough that it doesn’t matter. If you buy small or mixed weight eggs you might need three small ones.
- Sugar – I use golden caster nearly all the time for baking but you can use any sugar here. If you don’t like your puddings to be too sweet, leave it out. There is plenty of sweetness in the other ingredients.
- Chocolate Chips (optional) – Most puddings are better with chocolate, but if your panettone already has chocolate you might not need extra. I have used dark chocolate, but you can use any that you have. Chop up a bar if you don’t have the chips.
Nielsen Massey Vanilla
Good vanilla is one of the cornerstones of good baking and confectionery, and American company Nielsen-Massey has been producing the finest quality, sustainably sourced vanilla for over a century. Family owned and operated, they are the most famous brand for fine vanilla.
Nielsen-Massey take premium, hand-selected beans and a use a unique cold extraction process to preserve the hundreds of complex flavour compounds that give that exquisitely subtle real vanilla flavour.
Nielsen-Massey Gourmet Vanilla Extract is full, sweet and creamy in flavour with velvety after-tones. It is perfect for baking, ice cream making, fudge and desserts.
How to Make Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding with Real Vanilla – Step by Step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Pop the oven on to 180C / 170C fan / Gas 4 / 350F
Step One – Cut the panettone into 2.5 cm / 1″ cubes.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
You can use slices, but I find that it is easier to cut cubes.
A panettone is very light and airy, so try not to squash it when you cut it. A good, sharp, serrated bread knife is the best thing to use.
Step Two – Melt the butter and then use a pastry brush to butter a deep baking dish. Choose a dish that is about 6″ x 8″.
Next, arrange the cubes of panettone in the dish.
Step Three – Put the cream, milk, vanilla extract, eggs and sugar into a bowl. Whisk lightly with a fork to break up the eggs and combine the ingredients. You don’t need to work too hard at this!
Step Four – Pour the custard mixture over the panettone, taking care to drizzle it evenly.
Use the back of a spoon to lightly press the cubes into the liquid so they absorb it. Do this gently so they spring back up, rather than squashing them.
Scatter the chocolate chips over the panettone. Now drizzle the remaining melted butter over any of the bread that is not submerged in the custard mix.
Pop into the oven and bake for 35 minutes. When the pudding is ready, it will be fluffy and golden, with the custard set. If needed return to the oven for a few more minutes of cooking time.
Step Five – Allow your bread and butter pudding to cool a little before you serve. Dust it lightly with icing sugar for a final flourish.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with a jug of cream, and garnish with fresh berries for the ultimate winter treat.
A warm bread and butter pudding is also delicious with homemade ice cream – try my easy vanilla ice cream or cranberry ice cream.
Variations
- Make your vanilla panettone bread and butter pudding in individual dishes.
- Orange combines beautifully with all the flavours in this recipe. Why not add some orange zest to the custard mixture?
- Add a tot of rum, brandy or whisky for a boozy version.
Storage
For best results enjoy freshly baked whilst still warm.
Fridge – Pack can be leftovers into airtight boxes and store in the fridge for 2 days. You can enjoy these cold or reheat in the microwave.
Freezer – Pack into air tight boxes and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Hints and Tips
- If you want to prepare your vanilla panettone bread and butter pudding ahead of time, you can assemble everything to stage 3. Cover the baking dish with some cling film, and leave the custard mix in the fridge until you are ready to bake. You can also leave the assembled pudding for an hour in the fridge before baking so the panettone soaks up the cream mixture.
FAQS
This buttery brioche-style sweet bread from northern Italy is usually enriched with dried fruit and citrus zest, though chocolate versions are also popular. It should not be confused with pandoro, a similar Christmas treat baked into a star shape and dusted with vanilla icing sugar. Neither bears any resemblance to panforte, which is a dense, solid fruit and nut confection that was once used as travel rations.
You can, but it is absolutely not necessary. A water bath will give softer more eggy texture. I prefer it without, and it’s much easier just to bake in the normal way.
Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding with Vanilla and Chocolate
Ingredients
- 300 g panettone
- 50 g butter
- 150 ml cream
- 150 ml milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or tsp vanilla bean paste)
- 2 eggs (medium/large)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
- 2 tsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Put the oven on to 180C / 170C fan / Gas 4Cut the panettone into 2.5 cm / 1" cubes.300 g panettone
- Melt the butter and then use a pastry brush to butter a deep baking dish. Choose a dish that is about 6" x 8".Next, arrange the cubes of panettone in the dish.50 g butter
- Put the cream, milk, vanilla extract, eggs and sugar into a bowl. Whisk lightly with a fork to break up the eggs and combine the ingredients. You don't need to work too hard at this!150 ml cream, 150 ml milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp sugar
- Pour the custard mixture over the panettone. Take care to drizzle it evenly over the panettone.
- Use the back of a spoon to lightly press the cubes into the liquid so they absorb it. Do this as gently as possible, because you want them to spring back up. Don't squash them!
- Scatter the chocolate chips over the panettone. Now drizzle the remaining melted butter over any of the bread that is not submerged in the custard mix.2 tbsp chocolate chips
- Pop into the oven and bake for 35 minutes. When the pudding is ready, it will be fluffy and golden, with the custard set.
- Allow your bread and butter pudding to cool a little before you serve. Dust it lightly with icing sugar for a final flourish.2 tsp icing sugar
Notes
- This recipe is 11 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portionÂ
Sue
What temperature should the oven be at? I can’t see it in the recipe. The print function doesn’t work on your page.
Helen Best-Shaw
sorry about that Sue, not sure how the oven temperature vanished. 180C / 170C fan / Gas 4.
I’ve tested the print recipe function and it is working for me, so not sure how I can help on that.