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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My flavor-packed Panettone Bread Pudding combines fluffy holiday cake with sweet, rich custard in a luxurious baked dessert. This dish has a time-saving trick for this busy season: Use store-bought panettone, and you can serve this impressive holiday delicacy in less than 90 minutes!

Festive flavor and scent: Italian Panettone Bread Pudding is loaded with intoxicating candied fruit, citrus peel, and orange vanilla extract.
Make ahead: Cut up the panettone bread and make the custard ahead of time. You can even mix up the bread pudding the day before baking and let it rest in the fridge.
Go over the top! Bread pudding with panettone bread is lovely on its own, but since it’s the holidays, go all out. Drizzle on my Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce or Butterscotch Sauce and top with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.

Sweet breads and cakes loaded with fruit and nuts reflect the season’s abundance. It’s a time to indulge! You’ll love my recipes for Joululimmpu (Finnish Christmas Bread), Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread), Irish Christmas Cake, and Stollen (German Christmas Bread).

I’m excited to bring you this recipe in partnership with Rodelle. The right extract adds a depth of richness that can transform baked goods, and Rodelle Pure Fiori di Sicilia Citrus Flavor is a favorite in my kitchen for its bright, balanced flavor. This flavor is a traditional Italian-influenced combination of bright citrus, lush vanilla, and flower essences. It adds a delicious flavor to cookies, cakes, and even cocktails plus smoothies which shines in every bake, especially during holidays.

In addition to Fiori di Sicilia, Rodelle crafts its vanilla with care, blending from the highest-quality vanilla beans for a consistently rich and aromatic result. You’ll love how Rodelle Vanilla enhances other treats like my Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, S’mores Bars, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, Fudgy 100 Hour Brownies, and Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake. Rodelle offers premium products at an excellent value, available both in stores and online (via Amazon and Walmart), so you’re never far from great flavor.

What is Panettone Bread Pudding?
Tools You Need
Key Ingredients and Why
How to Make Panettone Bread Pudding
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
FAQs
More Bread Pudding Recipes

What is Panettone Bread Pudding?

Panettone Bread Pudding is a baked dessert made from cubed Italian panettone, a lightly sweet, fruit-filled yeast bread baked in a sweet cinnamon, vanilla, and orange custard and dusted with powdered sugar.
This decadent panettone bread and butter pudding is an ideal dish to plan for a holiday brunch, Christmas morning breakfast, dinner, or a party, but it’s also a great spur-of-the-moment recipe if you’re gifted a loaf of panettone at the holidays!
Bread pudding is an age-old, clever, economical way of transforming day-old bread or cake into a delightful, hot, delicious dessert. Try my savory bread pudding recipes, like Croque Monsieur Savory Bread Pudding and Bacon and Cheese Strata.

Tools You Need

What is Panettone?

Known as “The King of Cakes” in Italy, Panettone is a fluffy, sweet bread that originated in Milan in the 16th century.
Panettone traditionally contains dried fruit and candied citrus peel. Some varieties may also include nuts and chocolate.
This festive bread is made with a preferment starter, which is known as a BIGA. It gives the bread a slow rise, which is what gives it its light texture. The bread is baked in a dome shape.
The name “panettone” most likely comes from Italian, meaning “large loaf” or “loaf of luxury.” Still, one legend claims that “Toni,” the scullery cook for the Duke of Milan, created the rich bread for Christmas dinner after the head chef burned the original dessert. As the story goes, the bread was named in Toni’s honor!

Key Ingredients and Why

Loaf of panettone

Panettone, rich with citrus, vanilla, and cinnamon, gives the bread pudding an enticing flavor.
Importantly, panettone’s signature light crumb ensures the bread pudding isn’t overly dense.
Make your own panettone for a completely homemade dish.

Eggs

Eggs enrich the custard and help bind the pudding together.
Additionally, eggs give the custard deep flavor and a golden color.
Warm up your eggs if you’re using them right from the fridge. How to Get Room Temperature Eggs gives you quick and easy tips.

Whole milk

Whole milk gives the custard in this bread pudding rich flavor and texture.
Whole milk contains a higher percentage of milk fat than reduced-fat milk or non-fat milk, so it gives a creamier result.

Heavy whipping cream

Heavy whipping cream’s high-fat content (at least 36%) gives the custard velvety mouthfeel.
Using heavy cream and whole milk here gives the custard a balanced texture that’s not too heavy.

Granulated sugar

Sugar sweetens the custard and caramelizes during baking, adding a nutty, toasty note.

Cinnamon

The warmly sweet, subtly spicy flavor of ground cinnamon gives this bread pudding with panettone depth.
It blends perfectly with sugar, giving this cereal a warm sweetness.

Rodelle Pure Fiori di Sicilia Citrus Flavor

This traditional Italian-influenced flavoring is both bright and creamy, with its combination of zesty citrus, warm vanilla, and floral essences.

Orange zest

Citrus zest is rich with intense orange oil.

Powdered sugar

A dusting of powdered sugar is a pretty and sweet finishing touch.

How to Make Panettone Bread Pudding

Prepare to bake

Butter a 9×13-inch (23×33-cm) baking dish.
Cut the panettone into 2-inch (5-cm) cubes and place in the prepared dish.

Make the custard and assemble

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and Rodelle di Fiori extract.
Pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes in the pan and let soak for 40 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).

Bake and serve

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until custard is set (soft, but no longer liquid) and the top is golden brown.
Let rest for 10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

During the holidays, panettone can be found in well-stocked grocery stores, but if you can’t find any in your area or it’s off-season, you can order this bread online.
You can also try making my homemade panettone for this recipe!
If you have time, cube the bread a day in advance and leave it uncovered on a baking sheet. If it is slightly stale, it will more fully absorb the custard.
Rodelle’s Fiori di Sicilia is an Italian extract made of orange and vanilla. If you don’t have it, you can use vanilla extract (we still recommend Rodelle’s brand!)
This versatile dish can be served as either a homey dessert or as part of a special brunch!

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make ahead tips

To get ahead on baking day, cube the bread and keep it at room temperature for up to two days.
You can also assemble the bread pudding, then cover it and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking.

How to store leftovers

Store leftover panettone pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15 minutes.

FAQs

How do I keep my panettone pudding from being dry or overly dense?

Make sure the pudding soaks for at least 40 minutes before cooking so that the custard permeates the bread.
If your pudding is getting too brown, you can tent it with aluminum foil.
Do not over-bake! The pudding shouldn’t be completely set in the middle. It will continue to set as it cools.

Can I make this panettone dessert dairy-free?

Yes, just make sure you pick an unsweetened type. Oat or almond would work here.
See my Guide to The Best Dairy-Free Milk Options for Baking for more details.

Can I make panettone pudding egg-free?

Because eggs are an essential part of the custard in this bread pudding recipe, I don’t recommend using egg substitutes.

More Bread Pudding Recipes