There is usually a lot of panettone (Italian holiday bread) around after the hols — all the better to make a delicious warm bread pudding. I like the panettone with dried fruit and bits of orange peel for this pudding, or any of the breads with chocolate.
- 1 c heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 c milk
- ½ t lemon or orange zest
- ¼ t ground ginger
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 2 T sugar
- icing sugar, optional
- whipped cream, optional
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter a 9×13 baking dish.
Cut the panettone into wedges, leaving the crusts on and arrange in the dish. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla extract, zest, ginger and sugar and pour evenly over the panettone chunks. Let it sit for about a half hour to let the bread soak up the liquid. Put the baking dish in a roasting pan, and pour hot water around it to a depth of about an inch. Bake for 35 minutes until set and golden brown on top. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with whipped cream if using.
Serves 6-10.