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.
1loafItalian Panettone ideally several days old or stale
unsalted butterfor cooking
warm maple syrupfor serving
powdered sugarfor 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.