Panettone makes excellent French toast as well as amazing bread puddings |
The lineage of this sweet, leavened bread can be traced back to Roman times. It is most associated with Milan and there are many legends about it’s development. One tells of a nobleman, Ughetto Atellani, who fell in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of a poor baker named Toni. To win Adalgisa’s heart, Ughetto disguised himself as a baker and invented a sweet bread to which he added eggs, raisins and candied orange peel. The ploy worked, according to the legend, and Leonardo da Vinci (hah!), who attended the marriage, was so impressed by the “Pan de Toni” (or Toni’s bread) that he helped spread it’s popularity. More likely, the name comes from it’s literal translation from the Italian “big bread,” because it is known for it’s tall proportions.
Here are some recipes for panettone:
http://www.marthastewart.com/352672/panettone
http://www.joepastry.com/2011/panettone-recipe/
Panettone is lightly sweet and a bit dry. It’s intended to be eaten as an accompaniment to a hot beverage such as hot chocolate, tea or coffee. It also makes excellent French toast and there are several delicious bread puddings that can be made with it. Here is our favorite pudding recipe:
Panettone Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce
Sauce:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Bread Pudding:
1 (1-pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
To make the sauce: Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the cream mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. (The amaretto sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)
To make the bread pudding: Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm amaretto sauce, and serve.
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