Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

Name: Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: About 30g unsalted butter, softened; 400g leftover panettone, cut into chunky slices; 230ml full-fat milk; 230ml double cream; 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk; 4 tbsp soft light brown sugar; 1 large orange, zested; Pinch of sea salt; 100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped into chunks; 4 tbsp chocolate and hazelnut or pistachio spread; Icing sugar; Good-quality vanilla ice cream

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Bread and Butter Pudding has to be one of the very best comfort food recipes. But what if I told you it can be made even more delicious? That’s right. This Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding just takes it to a whole new level. Imagine soft, sweet and fruity panettone, with molten dark chocolate chunks, baked in a zesty orange custard… You simply have to try it!

Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding in a bowl with ice cream

For me, Christmas isn’t Christmas without panettone. And I love the chocolate ones. If you are are lucky enough to have leftover panettone, this is truly the most delicious recipe. An ideal alternative to Christmas pudding! If you enjoyed my Salted Caramel Bread and Butter Brioche Pudding with Nutella… you will love this.

Now I am a big fan of a traditional Christmas pudding. However, not everyone likes the dense, richly fruited British classic. But I am yet to meet someone who doesn’t love my Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding. In fact, it is firmly on my list of top 10 Christmas cooking recipes. It is so easy to put together, plus you can make ahead and leave it overnight. All you have to do the next day is pop it in the oven! It couldn’t be more perfect for a Christmas party. You can serve it family style at the table or spoon into individual bowls. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and watch it melt into a delicious vanilla sauce…

Why you will love this Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding recipe:

It is a super easy alternative to Christmas pudding.
It is full of flavour and texture. Think zesty orange, soft, sweet panettone, creamy custard, nutty chocolate and hazelnut spread and rich, gooey dark chocolate.
It is perfect for using up Christmas leftovers. Yet impressive enough to be a special occasion pudding.

Dishing up Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding in a bowl with ice cream

Ingredients:

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Butter - opt for unsalted butter so you can control the salt level in this Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding.

Panettone - this sweet Italian bread is a festive/New Year staple in Milan. Leftovers make the most luxurious bread and butter pudding.

Milk - use full-fat milk for a deliciously thick and creamy custard.

Double cream - this brings extra richness and indulgence to the custard.

Egg - I always use free-range eggs. I also recommend using large eggs stamped with the British Lion mark.

Soft light brown sugar - this adds a lovely molasses-caramel type flavour to the Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding.

Orange zest - chocolate orange is a classic Christmas flavour combination. Using the zest, rather than the juice, adds a stronger orange flavour.

Salt - this won’t make the bread and butter pudding taste salty! It helps balance the sweetness of the panettone and richness of the dark chocolate. I recommend Maldon Salt Flakes.

Dark chocolate - opt for a good-quality dark chocolate with 70% cocoa. This helps create rich, chocolatey puddles of gooey chocolate.

Chocolate and hazelnut or pistachio spread - this adds extra indulgence to this Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding. You can use my homemade Pistachio Cream recipe or buy your own. If opting for a chocolate spread, nutella works well. Alternatively, you can use a luxury Gianduja spread.

Icing sugar - a light dusting of icing sugar adds a hint of sweetness and pretty decorative finish.

Ice cream - a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream is perfect with Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding. I love the way it melts into a sweet vanilla sauce.

Substitutions and Variations:

Panettone: you can swap the panettone for all sorts of sweetened enriched breads. Pandoro and brioche both work very well. While this version is great for a Christmas pudding, you can make an Easter pudding with hot cross buns.

Sugar: use soft dark brown sugar for an even deeper molasses flavour. Alternatively, caster sugar, golden caster sugar or granulated sugar will all work. You just won’t get the toffee-ish flavour.

Spread: lots of different sweet spreads can be drizzled on this bread and butter pudding. Lotus Biscoff Spread and Nutella are both delicious. M&S also have some wonderful sweet spreads. You can also use my homemade Pistachio Cream.

Chocolate: rich dark chocolate complements the sweetness of the panettone beautifully. However, you can also use milk or white chocolate if you prefer. I recommend chopped chocolate over chocolate chips so you get gooey puddles of molten chocolate.

Orange: chocolate and orange is a classic combination. If you aren’t a fan, you can skip the orange zest. If you don’t have one to hand but still want the chocolate orange vibe, you can use satsuma, tangerine or clementine zest.

Liqueur: if making for adults, drizzle the torn panettone slices with your favourite liqueur. A splash of Baileys is suitably festive, plus they have lots of flavours to choose from. Alternatively, Amaretto, Frangelico and Rum are all delicious.

Icing sugar: if you can find it, try dusting with sieved vanilla icing sugar. It adds a subtle vanilla flavour which tastes so good. I also love using it to dust all sorts of cakes and desserts.

Serving suggestions: a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream is delicious with this Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding. A rich chocolate ice cream also works really well. Alternatively, up the chocolate orange vibes and go for a chocolate orange ice cream.

Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding in a dish topped with ice cream

Cooking Tips:

Resting: this is key to achieving the very best bread and butter pudding. Allowing the custard time to soak creates the most indulgent, soft and creamy texture. However, if you are in a hurry, you can reduce it to 10 minutes. Just bear in mind the texture won’t be the same.
Make ahead: you can get ahead and prepare this Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding in advance. That can be a few hours or the night before. Simply make up to the soaking stage, cover and chill overnight in the fridge. Bake as instructed in the recipe. If you are leaving it overnight, I suggest keeping back a little of the custard to pour over the next morning (30 minutes before baking).

Dishing up Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bread and butter pudding?

An ingenious dish that turns leftover bread into the most delicious pudding. It is classic British comfort food. The basic principle starts by arranging slices of buttered bread triangles in a dish and sprinkling with dried fruit. Then a rich egg custard (often infused with vanilla and spices) is poured over and left to soak. Once the custard has had time to soak into the bread, it is baked until just set.

Over the years there have been countless variations. Now you will find luxury versions using brioche or adding things like chocolate spread, fruit curds or jam. Others include twists with all sorts of bread. Think leftover hot cross buns (at Easter), pain au chocolat and croissants. I have even seen a recipe for crumpet bread and butter pudding…

What is panettone?

If you haven’t heard of it before, panettone is a popular Italian sweet bread. Originally from Milan, it is traditionally eaten around the Christmas and New Year holiday. It is famed for its dome-like shape, sweet flavour and fluffy texture. Although new flavours have emerged, the classic version is studded with candied fruits and raisins.

Italians typically enjoy a slice of panettone at the end of a festive meal. Usually with a cup of coffee or sweet wine. It is also delicious with a mug of rich hot chocolate. Some will serve it with creamy mascarpone Crema inglese (a light custard) too. You can even take inspiration from churros and go for a decadent dark chocolate sauce.

Although I love using leftover panettone to make a Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding, you can enjoy it in lots of different puddings. Leftover panettone French toast is a thing of beauty. You can swap it for brioche in my Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast or Hong Kong French Toast. Alternatively, keep it simple and just serve toasted slices with butter, jam or your favourite spread.

There are lots of other make ahead puddings to use up your leftover panettone. Try adding it to your favourite trifle recipe instead of cake/sponge. It has the perfect texture to soak up all the alcohol. Alternatively, give it a go in a classic Italian tiramisu. Simply swap the savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits for slices of tiramisu. Even traditionalists will be impressed…

What is the difference between chocolate chunks and chocolate chips?

There is a reason I recommend using chopped chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are small chocolate droplets designed to withstand high temperatures and hold their shape. Although they look pretty in things like cookies, they don’t melt. However,
chocolate chunks (from a chopped chocolate bar) will melt into gooey molten puddles during baking. They don’t look uniform, but taste even more delicious.

Can I make this Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding in advance?

Yes! Any bread and butter pudding is a great idea if you need a make ahead pudding recipe. Simply make up to the soaking stage, cover and chill in the fridge. You can do this for a couple of hours or overnight. Then you just bake as instructed in the recipe. If you are making it the night before, keep back a little of the custard and pour over 30 minutes before baking.

What can I serve with this Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding?

This Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding is one of those dishes that is perfect as it is. However, a dusting of sieved icing sugar adds a final hint of sweetness and pretty decoration. Vanilla icing sugar is even better, but can be tricky to find.

For full on comfort, I like to add a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream. The contrast of the warm pudding and just-melting icing cream is so good. You can try all sorts of different ice cream. Chocolate or chocolate orange work really well. Alternatively, why not give my Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream a go?

Other recipes you might enjoy:

If you like the sound of this Panettone, Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding, check out my Salted Caramel Bread and Butter Brioche Pudding with Nutella. It is deliciously decadent, but perfect for a special treat. Also don’t miss my Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast. Great for a luxurious brunch or dreamy pud. No mention of puddings is complete without my Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding. I have yet to meet someone who can resist it!

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