I can’t think of another bread that represents Christmas more than a panettone. This pudding is a great way to use up any leftover slices. Although we’re not making panettone in this book, there are some great artisan panettone readily available at Christmastime that will work perfectly.
60 g unsalted butter, cubed
1 store-bought loaf of panettone (about 500 g)
250 g double cream
250 g full fat milk
4 egg yolks
100 g caster sugar
zest of 1⁄2 orange
zest of 1⁄2 lemon
good pinch of ground nutmeg
Grease a large casserole dish with half of the butter.
To prepare the panettone, slice the loaf into pieces about 1-cm thick. Either slice the pieces in half or into quarters, depending on the size of your loaf. Layer the bread in the casserole dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, zests and nutmeg until well combined.
Pour the custard mixture over the bread, ensuring every piece is well coated. Leave the pudding to soak for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160°C fan (350°F/gas 4).
Dot the top of the pudding with the remaining butter and bake for 35 minutes until golden and the edges of the bread have gently caramelised.
Leave the pudding to cool for about 30 minutes.
Serve with custard or (dare we say it) a dash of fresh cream, if you can handle a little more.
You can find this recipe plus plenty of other Christmas recipes, as well as some Bread Ahead classics in our new book: The Expert Home Baker