Classic Italian Panettone bread is transformed into delicious and festive French toast for the holiday season! Serve with tart cranberry compote. 

Panettone French Toast with Cranberry Compote

Christmas Day is packed with small traditions in our family. Most revolve around food, specifically Italian Panettone. 

After slowly waking up, my family sits down at the table to feast on Italian panettone, fresh fruit and berries, and warm mugs of hot coffee. Pajamas, robes, and fuzzy socks are the official uniform of the day.

After eating breakfast, we head to the living room where we grab our stockings and slowly open presents one at a time. Some traditions have changed over the years, but this one has stuck. 

How to make Panettone French Toast

Panettone is a holiday staple for our family. Some people go crazy for Christmas cookies, we love a nice, thick slice of buttery Italian panettone. It tastes like the holidays. 

While I have yet to try my hand at homemade panettone, we have tried and test so many panettones over the years. Usually I’m a proponent of enjoying it as is, preferably with a slather of salted butter. A good panettone doesn’t need much more than that.

For this Buttermilk Panettone French Toast, I’d be willing to make an exception. To up the ante, we’re serving it up homemade cranberry compote. 

Cranberry Compote Ingredients in Pan

How to Make Panettone French Toast:

If you’ve ever made challah or brioche french toast, you know that enriched yeast breads make the best and most decadent French toast.

Now imagine using panettone which has the added bonus of being filled with candied orange, raisins, citron, and zest.

Instead of soaking bread in a traditional mixture of milk, eggs, and spices, this Panettone French toast is soaked in a buttermilk mixture infused with fresh orange zest and vanilla extract. It is spectacular! The buttermilk adds a subtle tartness that helps balance the sweetness of this dish. 

Panettone French Toast with Cranberry Compote

The French toast is paired with a very simple cranberry compote. It pairs so nicely with the citrus-filled panettone and helps make this decadent holiday breakfast a bit more special and unique.

If you’re looking for a festive Christmas breakfast recipe, this is it! 

Panettone French Toast with Cranberry Compote

Panettone French Toast with Cranberry Compote

No ratings yet
Classic Italian Panettone bread is transformed into delicious and festive French toast for the holidays. Instead of soaking bread in a traditional mixture of milk, eggs, and spices, the panettone is soaked in a buttermilk-egg mixture infused with fresh orange zest and vanilla extract. The buttermilk adds a subtle tartness that helps balance the sweetness of this dish. 

Ingredients

Cranberry Compote (Makes ~1 Cup):

  • 8 ounces fresh cranberries
  • cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 thick strips orange peel
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • cup water
  • pinch kosher salt

Buttermilk Panettone French Toast:

  • cups buttermilk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 1 loaf Italian Panettone ideally several days old or stale
  • unsalted butter for cooking
  • warm maple syrup for serving
  • powdered sugar for garnishing (optional)

Instructions 

  • Prepare the Cranberry Compote: Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook until the cranberries have burst and the mixture has thickened. Set aside to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.
  • Prepare the French Toast: In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Set aside.
  • Remove the panettone (ideally several days old or slightly stale) from the paper baking wrapper. Using a bread knife, slice the loaf horizontally into 1 to 1¼-inch thick round slices. Slice each round into half moons. 
  • Heat a tab of butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat until small bubbles begin to form. Right before cooking, dip the panettone slices in the buttermilk-egg mixture, turning them until they just become saturated (note: if your Panettone is very fresh, do this step extremely quickly, as the bread is delicate and can become mushy quickly). Allow any excess egg-buttermilk mixture to drip off and place in the hot buttered pan. Cook in batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Cook the french toast until golden brown on each side, flipping carefully with a wide heatproof spatula.
  • Top the hot Panettone French toast with a spoonful of cranberry compote and serve with warm maple syrup. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 693kcal, Carbohydrates: 145g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 208mg, Sodium: 303mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 125g