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5 Uses for Leftover Panettone

Panettone
For many, panettone is a staple of Christmas celebrations. It is a lightly sweetened yeast bread that is traditionally served around Christmas in Italy. The bread is rich with butter and eggs, and is packed with dried fruits and candied citrus. The fluffy texture, as well as its sweetness, put it somewhere between a bread and a cake. The beautifully packaged breads also make popular gifts for friends and coworkers, and many people end up with two or three around the house in addition to one that they bought themselves. The breads can be sliced and eaten plain, but once you have more than one you’re going to start to wonder what else you can do with them. Here are five ideas that will let you use up that leftover Panettone:

  • Toast – It may sound simple, but panettone makes wonderful slices of toast that make a great addition to any breakfast. The flavors in the already buttery bread are enhanced by toasting, and the sweetness is brought out of the dried fruits, too. Spread toasted slices generously with butter (and even sprinkle with sugar if you’re looking for a sweet treat) before serving.
  • Panettone French Toast – Another take on toast, french toast is a good way to use up any extra bread that you might have in your kitchen. The rich bread makes an excellent base for the eggy batter and makes a very indulgent french toast recipe. I like to add a pinch of cinnamon to my batter, as it goes very well with the citrus in the panettone.
  • Eggnog Bread Pudding – Eggnog is another common leftover from the Christmas holiday. Combining eggnog and panettone into this decadent dessert allows you to really clear out your kitchen. The bread pudding is easy to make, and with the vanilla-nutmeg flavor of eggnog and all those flavorful fruits from the panettone, you will get a lot of holiday flavor in each serving.
  • Streusel-Topped Baked French Toast – This breakfast casserole dish is a cross between french toast, bread pudding and coffee cake. It’s great for serving a big crowd and will use up a lot of extra bread (panettone or otherwise). The dish is rich and custardy, but eggier than a regular bread pudding, and it is topped off with a sweet, buttery streusel before baking.
  • Rum Cake – Some panettones are spiked with a bit of amaretto or other liqueurs. If you have a whole loaf of the stuff to use up, poke some holes in it with a long skewer and generously douse it with a rum-sugar syrup (amounts vary, but 1 cup rum with 1/3 cup sugar is a good place to start). Allow the bread to sit for a day or two – well-wrapped – to soak it all up, then serve slices of the extra-moist cake as a festive treat at New Year’s.

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6 Comments
  • Soma Sengupta
    December 27, 2011

    These looks great. Thanks!

  • Bakeware
    December 27, 2011

    These are all great ideas for left over Penettone. I realy like the idea of combining Eggnog Bread Pudding with Penettone, sounds tasty!

  • rainey
    December 27, 2011

    Too funny! I’m just getting around to making panettone today. Another day of fermenting the dough and I can add the fruit & almonds and bake. But I’ll be thoroughly prepared for it if some is left over. ;>

    Maybe I’ll even print out your entry and pack it in with the ones I’m gifting.

  • Derrick
    December 27, 2011

    why not make trifle

    works great in our house

  • Patrick L. Doucette
    December 30, 2011

    I realy like the idea of combining Eggnog Bread Pudding with Penettone, all good ideas, I will have a try.

  • kobi
    December 13, 2017

    am I the only one thinking toast, Dijon mustard, pickles, smoked turkey, Swiss and maybe an egg?

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