Jamie Oliver Inspired Bread & Butter Panettone Pudding
Having been raised in Texas and southern US, I’m no stranger to bread pudding; it’s a great way to turn stale bread and bread ends into a great breakfast or dessert. So, when I saw Jamie Oliver’s take on bread pudding using an Italian panettone, I had to give it a try.
Jamie Oliver’s version calls for Italian panettone, 70% cocoa dark chocolate, and orange marmalade. As with most European recipes, you’ll likely need to make substitutions in the US.
Substitutions
Plain panettone: I was only able to find flavored panettone where I live, so I chose one with raisins and chopped fruit to complement the marmalade.
Double cream: Double cream has more fat content than heavy whipping cream and is not available in any of my local stores. To try and compensate, I increased the amount of heavy whipping cream and reduced the amount of whole milk. Instead of using 1 & 1/4 cups of each, I used 1 & 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of whole milk.
Caster sugar: Caster sugar is a finer texture than granulated sugar, but not a powder like icing sugar. I just used and equal weight of granulated sugar, and the recipe turned out great!
Bitter orange marmalade: Only sweet orange marmalade was available, so I opted for a jar with no high fructose corn syrup to reduce the sweetness and the cost was exactly the same.
Vanilla pod: I didn’t have one of these on hand but keep Kirkland Signature Pure Vanilla Extract in the pantry which is significantly better than McCormick’s or any other grocery store brand that I have ever used. I’m sure using real vanilla produces a better result, but Kirkland’s extract has a deep, rich flavor and aroma.
Jamie Oliver’s recipe also called for a loose-bottomed tart tin, which I did not have, so I used a 9” spring-form pan, which worked well when set on top of a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, as the pan did leak custard out the bottom. I can only imagine a loose-bottomed tart tin would do the same.
Since I did use a 9” pan and the result was rather thick, I would assume a 10” tart tin would be needed since the sides are much shallower, however, the recipe does not specify.
Feedback from the Family
The bread pudding was a hit and everyone loved it! I’m generally not a marmalade fan but it worked well in this recipe. My wife is part British/Welsh and loves marmalade and that trait has been genetically passed down do some of our kids, two of which told me they love chocolate and orange together and loved this bread pudding!
Next Time
The next time I try this recipe, I would love to use a plain panettone and a tart tin, just to see the difference. Maybe if it was a little less sweet, you can add a Bourbon/Whiskey sauce to bring this bread pudding back into the southern fold!
