Panettone Bread Pudding

A few weeks ago, I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa where Ina made a bread pudding using Italian Panettone. Panettone is an Italian sweet bread that is typically enjoyed during the Christmas season. The bread is similar to sourdough and contains candied orange, citron and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which give it a very unique flavor.


A loaf of panettone found its way to my mom's house on Christmas, so I thought I'd give Ina's bread pudding recipe a shot. The bread pudding had mixed reviews, not because of any problem with the recipe, but because the flavor of the panettone is very distinct. Those who liked panettone loved the bread pudding...and I'm one of them!


Ingredients
1 loaf Italian panettone
3 eggs
8 egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Trim the dark outer crust from the panettone. Cut the rest of the loaf into 1-inch cubes.
3. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

4. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish and place the panettone cubes in the dish.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, extracts and sugar.

6. Pour the mixture over the panettone. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the liquid.

7. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the pudding.
8. Place the baking dish into a larger pan. Add very hot water to the larger pan until it is halfway up the side of the baking dish.

9. Cover with aluminum foil and cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape during baking.

10. Bake for 45 minutes.
11. Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes until the custard is set and the top of the pudding is golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and allow the pudding to rest for 15 minutes before serving.