Pumpkin Panettone Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Creme Anglaise and Bourbon Whipped Cream

Trader Joe’s has this pumpkin panettone that they sell this time of year and it always catches my eye. Something about Panettone bread screams holidays to me, maybe because stores start stocking them just before Thanksgiving. They are like the Italian version of fruit cake, but WAY better. And you know what? They make a killer bread pudding.

For Friendsgiving this year, I decided to put together a pumpkin bread pudding using Trader Joe’s pumpkin panettone. I made a custard using eggs, milk, cream, pumpkin, sugar, and a splash of bourbon. After cutting the panettone into 1 inch cubes and tossing into a buttered casserole dish, I poured the custard over the bread cubes.

Then I sprinkled a couple tablespoons of fresh pomegranate seeds over the top. Press everything down with a spoon so that the bread soaks up the custard and gets completely covered. I let the bread soak for about an hour, but you should let is sit and soak up the custard for at least 30 minutes. Tip: Trader Joe’s sells fresh pomegranate seeds already extracted from the fruit in a 5.2 oz package and half of that package is exactly the amount I used here to sprinkle onto the bread pudding before it bakes.

Don’t panic if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s or they are out of the pumpkin panettone or pomegranate seeds! Any panettone will do or if you can’t find that at any store near you, any soft, thick, fluffy sweet bread will do – brioche, challah, etc. And for pomegranate seeds, just purchase a pomegranate and use this trick or this trick to get the seeds out mess free if you can’t find a cheap package of the loose, fresh seeds. But I am telling you, this is a short-cut that is totally worth the cost of paying the additional price to already have them ready for you, especially this time of year!

Bake at 350° for approximately 45 minutes or until the bread pudding is puffed, the custard is set in the center and the sides have begun to brown and pull away from the sides easily.

Meanwhile, pull together the crème anglaise sauce and whipped cream toppings. You will need to heat milk and cream over medium to a simmer. In a small bowl whisk three egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla until they are pale yellow and ribbony.

You will temper the cream mixture with the eggs and return to the heat until it begins to thicken – it should just begin to stick to a wooden spoon so that when you scrape your finger down the back, the line remains. Pour over white chocolate chips and stir to melt the chocolate. Avoid eating the entire bowl yourself before it finds it’s way to the bread pudding…or ya know just go ahead and guzzle the whole batch. It’s that good. And this is a judgement free zone. Remington may or may not have hugged me a little too long after I whipped this sauce together and gave him a taste.

Follow my tips in this post to make the perfect whipped cream. You will want soft peaks because that makes it easier to spoon heap on top of bread pudding. For this recipe, I used 2 teaspoons of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a couple of splashes of bourbon (which is around 2 teaspoons). >:)

Serve the bread pudding warm with a healthy puddle of white chocolate crème anglaise poured over the top, a heaping pile of bourbon whipped cream and a sprinkling of more pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy! This was the perfect dessert for our Friendsgiving this weekend and that white chocolate crème anglaise is ridiculous. I could drink the entire bowl!