Everyone seems to have bread pudding on the brain these
days. I think it may be that winter is winding down and it’s a last-ditch
effort to get in as many comfort foods as possible before the sun comes out. Whatever
the reason… I love it.
This particular recipe is one of those kinda looks
complicated, but you finish it and you’re like “Really?” that’s it? kind of
recipes. It really is so easy and so worth the little tiny bit of effort you
put into it. I’ve used this same recipe for years sometimes using brioche,
sometimes using sourdough but I really like it best with panettone. The dryness
of the bread soaks in the custard and the dried fruits plump up and act like
little flavor bombs.
The reason this recipe is special though is that it’s a
banana bread cousin. I really, really, love banana bread and I’ve tweaked this
recipe to have bread pudding texture with banana bread flavors!
Here’s how it goes:
Panettone Banana Bread Pudding
Pudding:
1 large panettone, crusts trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 large eggs
3 frozen and thawed bananas
1 fresh banana
3 cups ½ & ½
1 cup white sugar
½ cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbs brandy or amaretto
1 tbs cinnamon
Sauce:
1 cup ½ & ½
4 tbs brown sugar
¼ cup brandy or amaretto
3 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
For the pudding: In a large bowl mash the frozen bananas
with ½ cup of the brown sugar and the liqueur. Whisk in the eggs, ½ &
½ and white sugar. Set aside. Lightly
butter a casserole dish. Lay out one layers of bread cubes to fill the dish.
Pour the banana-custard mixture over the cubes. Press down to submerge the
cubes. Slice the fresh banana and arrange on top. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp brown
sugar. Let stand for 15-30 mins. Preheat the oven to 350*
Bake for 45-55 minutes until the cubes start to pull away
from the sides of the casserole. It will still be jiggly when right out of the
oven. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes to set up.
For the sauce: Bring the ½ & ½, cinnamon and sugar to a boil in a heavy
saucepan over med-high heat stirring frequently. In a small bowl, whisk the
liqueur and cornstarch together. Pour into the saucepan and simmer over
medium-low heat. Whisk often, until the sauce thickens.
Pour over pudding and enjoy!
EB