Panettone Perdu Recipe

One of the best bits of Christmas is turning leftovers into festive feasts. A buttery mince pie with a slice of mature cheddar. A bowl of cold roast potatoes and some piccalilli. Add a couple of slices of long fermentation sourdough, a dollop of green tomato chutney and a few pickles on the side turn to roast ham and you have the most wonderful sandwich.

In the spirit of appreciating all that we have in this season of goodwill, as part of our Waste Not initiative, we’ve come up with a decadent recipe for turning our Sourdough Panettone into an indulgent festive pudding.

Our Panettone Perdu is a modern twist on a classic bread and butter pudding and pain perdu (more commonly known as French toast). Bejewelled with candied citrus peel, dried vine fruits and a generous glug of Armagnac, it’s a delightful way of making your Christmas panettone go even further.

French toast dates back to the Roman empire and was referred to in France as ‘pain a la Romaine’ or ‘Roman toast’ before gaining its more popular name. Dating back to 17^th century when French peasants made this breakfast favourite as a way of using up stale bread, it’s still one of our favourite ways of using up stale sourdough bread or in this case, sourdough panettone.

Bread and butter pudding also has a long, rich history. Originally created in the 11^th century, the dish was made with water, sugar and spices and known as ‘poor man’s pudding’. Eggs and milk were added around the 13^th century and the first published recipe for this classic pudding in 1728 is credited to Mrs. Eliza Smith in her cookbook The Compleat Housewife. Entitled “Bread and Butter Pudding For Fasting Days”, the recipe included a puff pastry base, layers of bread, raisins, currants and butter and a thick rich topping of spiced cream and orange blossom water.

A modern twist on the traditional Italian recipe, our Sourdough Panettone is made from a light, airy dough and sourdough starter. Traditionalists may favour our Classic recipe, studded with raisins, almonds and, of course, candied lemons and oranges. Chocolate lovers will delight in our Chocolate recipe, made with dark, milk and white chocolate drops and balanced with delicate vanilla, sweet orange and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts. And for those who are longing for a taste of Amalfi coast sunshine, our Pistachio & Lemon recipe is something of an homage to those two majestic Italian flavours with its fresh pistachios, candied lemon peel and white chocolate drops.

If you’re craving a bowl of custardy comfort, then this recipe ticks all of the festive, indulgent and waste less pudding boxes. We hope you enjoy.

Recipe

For the Panettone Perdu

Half a panettone (around 500g),  cut into thick, chunky slices

4 large eggs, whisked

150ml whole milk

150ml double cream

60g soft light brown sugar

A few drops of good quality vanilla extract

25ml Armagnac

1 tbsp dried cranberries or sour cherries

1 tbsp candied orange peel

For the topping

1 tbsp flaked almonds

1bsp demerara sugar, mixed with ¼ tsp cinnamon

50g melted butter

To serve

Crème fraiche, sour cream or fresh custard

Method 

1. Grease a large overproof dish with butter and cut the panettone into large, chunky slices.
2. In a small pan over a medium heat, gently warm the light brown sugar, milk, cream, vanilla essence and Armagnac until the sugar has fully dissolved.
3. Next, whisk the eggs together in a bowl.
4. Pour over the warm milk mixture whilst continuing to whisk.
5. Soak each slice in the custard mixture and then arrange in your greased ovenproof dish.
6. Pour over the remaining custard mixture and scatter with the dried fruit and candied orange peels. Cover and leave to soak for 6 hours in the fridge or overnight if you can.
7. Once your dish has had time to absorb the custard mixture and you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 190C.
8. Melt the butter in a pan. Sprinkle the top of the dish with the cinnamon sugar mix and flaked almonds. Drizzle with melted butter and place in the oven.
9. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the almonds are toasted and the edges are starting to turn golden and crispy.
10. Serve with crème fraiche, sour cream or some homemade custard if you’re feeling extra decadent...