This French toast recipe is a twist on the traditional brunch dish that uses panettone bread instead of white. This Italian bread is a sweet holiday specialty filled with nuts, candied fruits and raisins, often enjoyed during Christmas and New Year. It's a great way to use leftovers that can dry up pretty quickly.
Holiday leftovers
If you're wondering what to do with that leftover panettone from the holidays, I've got just the solution: Panettone French Toast. It's an easy and tasty way to give your breakfast a sweet upgrade.
We love taking traditional dishes and sprucing them up with unique ingredients, like the panettone bread pudding, or exciting flavor combinations, like the ham and cheese French toast.
French toast made with panettone served hot and sizzling with a drizzle of maple syrup is several steps above the classic brunch favorite, especially if you have a sweeter tooth.
Panettone has a light, airy yet thick texture and is traditionally studded with candied fruits, nuts and raisins, offering bursts of sweetness.
These add-ins can vary nowadays and might include chocolate chips and dried fruit. So, the flavor of your French toast can vary accordingly.
FAQ
This is a common concern. Don’t soak the panettone slices in the egg mixture for too long to avoid sogginess. Just a quick dip is enough, as panettone is more delicate than regular bread. Also, ensure your pan or griddle is adequately heated before adding the slices, as this helps to cook them quickly and evenly.
Try cutting the slices a bit thicker, about 1 inch, to provide more structural integrity. This bread can be quite delicate, especially when sliced. Also, allow the panettone to stale slightly, leaving it unwrapped. The dryer bread holds up better when soaked in the egg mixture.
While it's best enjoyed fresh, you can prepare Panettone French toast in advance. Cook the slices as usual, let them cool, and then store them in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the oven when ready to serve. This can slightly change the texture, but it's still a convenient option for busy mornings.
Ingredient Notes
- Panettone: we always have homemade panettone, but you can buy it from a good bakery.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- White granulated sugar. It's optional, depending on the sweetness you want and how you serve this eggy toast. It's all explained in the recipe card.
- Powdered sugar or maple syrup to serve. Or other toppings of choice.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Variations & substitutions
- Bread: change the type of panettone you use. Nowadays, it comes with different add-ins.
- Chocolate chips: for chocolate lovers, use a chocolate chip panettone or sprinkle chocolate chips to the egg mixture or scattered with the bread pieces.
- Stuffed: make a sweet sandwich with slices of panettone and cream cheese, mascarpone or fruit jam before dipping in the egg mixture.
- Savory: while panettone is typically sweet, you can make a semi-savory version using ham and cheese (like this stuffed French toast) and pepper in the egg mixture.
- Panettone casserole: for a convenient and crowd-pleasing option, cut the panettone into cubes, soak them in the egg mixture, and bake everything in a casserole dish. This is perfect for feeding a large group with minimal effort. Similar to the panettone bread pudding but less sweet.
- Creamier: substitute half the milk for whipping or heavy cream. The egg custard will be richer and denser, and so will the dish.
How to make panettone French toast
A twist on a traditional French toast recipe, this fantastic, sweeter version is just as easy to make.
How to slice the panettone: I recommend thick slices to prevent them from falling apart and flipping them over easily. This is not the recipe for thin slices of bread.
Egg mixture: this holiday bread is sweet, so I don't recommend adding much sugar to the custard, especially if sprinkling it with powdered sugar and/or drizzling it with maple syrup or honey. That said, you can add a tablespoon or two of sugar if you have a serious sweet tooth.
- Dip slices on both sides, but don't leave them to soak too long, as that will make the bread soggy. Dip them as you cook them; don't let them wait.
- Cook on medium-low or low heat to allow the crust to form and the egg to cook. Use butter between sandwiches.
Toppings
Consider maple syrup and a sprinkling of powdered sugar with fresh fruits like berries, sliced bananas, or fruit compote. Natural yogurt, a drizzle of honey, or a sprinkle of nuts and seeds can also add flavor without excessive sweetness.
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Panettone French Toast
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Ingredients
- 8 thick panettone slices, store-bought or homemade panettone
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup milk
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar, if you have a sweet tooth or are eating it plain
- 2 to 3 tablespoon butter
- maple syrup or powdered sugar, to serve
Instructions
- Lightly beat 3 eggs with ½ cup milk, pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon sugarif using, in a shallow dish or bowl that can accommodate at least one slice of panettone.
- Place 8 thick panettone slices in the egg mixture, about 20 seconds on each side, so they soak some of the egg and milk. Do so in batches as you cook them. To keep them waiting in the custard.
- Melt butter (½ tablespoon per sandwich you're cooking) in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
- Cook the soaked panettone slices on the hot skillet in a single layer, as many as fit your pan, over low or medium-low heat, flipping them so they're golden brown on both sides.
- Repeat until they’re all cooked.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup or powdered sugar dusting.
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