Panettone pudding

I’m not a fan of bread and butter pudding, though I’ve warmed to it somewhat over the years. (As a child, I considered it a personal insult when mum served it for dessert.)

And I’ve never seen the point of panettone – that overrated, inevitably stale and dry-as-dust, identity crisis of a cake-bread, whose packaging is the best thing going for it.

But bring the two together in the form of panettone pudding, and it really is a case of two wrongs making a right…

Panettone pudding
(serves 6)

• 1 Tb butter
• ½ a large panettone, torn into chunks
• 3 eggs
• 1½ cups (375ml) milk
• ½ cup (125ml) double cream
• 2 Tb caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Butter a large pudding basin or casserole, and fill with the panettone.
3. Beat the eggs, then stir in the milk, cream and 2 Tb sugar.
4. Pour the mixture over the panettone. Leave it to sit for fifteen minutes, for the liquid to be absorbed.
5. Place the pudding in a roasting tin, then fill the tin half full with boiling water.
6. Bake the pudding for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top is golden-brown.
7. Serve with custard or cream, if desired.

Tags: British food, eggs, milk, panettone, vegetarian