Panettone French Toast (With Bacon & Eggs) | The # 1 Easy Post-Christmas Brunch Recipe
All the cooking and baking done during the Christmas season, leaves one exhausted and also will leave behind some leftovers. This can be quite the headache. But, when used right, it is a blessing in disguise aiding you to whip up a quick meal or brunch without breaking a sweat. This Panettone French toast was a blessing in disguise for me on a lazy weekend.
I woke up this weekend, wondering what to make for breakfast. Wasn’t in the mood to make something elaborate or something that needed a lot of time and effort. My eyes fell on the leftover Panettone which had gone dry. Panettone can be toasted and slathered with butter and enjoyed.
But, the adventurous me looked at the possibility of making a French-toast out of it since basically a Panettone is a bread. This got me looking around to see if it has been done and indeed it has been done before. So it was a no-brainer. I was up and out of my bed whipping up my usual french toast recipe, to make a Panettone French Toast and fix a hearty brunch for myself.
How to make a Panettone French toast:
The process of making a Panettone French toast is same as that of a regular French toast and as with the former, this dish turns out best when made with a slightly stale bread. Also, ensure you slice it about 1 inch thick. A slightly stale bread mops up the custard more efficiently and the thickness gives it the necessary heft to maintain its shape while taking in all the custard.
Make the custard by beating the egg along with the milk/ cream. Add flavouring of your choice. I went for the classic vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg trio. You can add some sugar if you desire. Do remember that the Panettone is a rich sweet bread. And don’t forget the dash of salt to lift up the flavours.
Once you have the custard ready, the next step is to let the panettone slice, soak up all the custard and let the flavours infuse through its body. Once all the custard is soaked up, toast the slice in some butter until it turns golden brown. Done!
I teamed the toast with some crispy bacon rashers and a couple of eggs-sunny side up. You are free to use sides of your choice. Something like fresh berries and greek yoghurt and some honey also pairs very well with the toast.
Instead of Panettone, you can even use a Brioche or Challah. This was a quick and filling weekend brunch that I enjoyed devouring to the fullest and I’m sure you will enjoy it too.
Panettone French Toast with Bacon & Eggs
Ingredients
for the French Toast:
- 1 Egg, medium sized
- 3 tbsp Full fat milk/ cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- ½ tsp Cinnamon powder
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg Powder
- 1 tsp Sugar (optional)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 Slice Panettone (1 inch thick), slightly stale
- 1 tbsp Butter
Additional ingredients:
- 3 pc Bacon rashers
- 2 Eggs, medium sized
- Salt, as needed
- Pepper, as needed
- Icing sugar (optional)
Instructions
Making the Custard:
- In a high sided dish (large enough to accommodate the panettone slice), beat the egg along with the milk/cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar (if using) and salt until well combined
Drenching the Panettone slice:
- Take a 1-inch thick slice of slightly stale Panettone (see notes) and dip it into the custard and leave for a couple of minutes for it to soak up the custard
- Flip the Panettone slice for the custard to absorb well into both sides
- Once almost all the custard has been soaked up, lift up the slice with the help of kitchen tongs and coat the edges of the slice with the remaining custard
- Ensure the slice is completely coated with the custard
Making the French-Toast:
- As the Panettone is soaking up the custard, melt the butter on a frying pan on medium heat
- Gently lay-down the drenched panettone slice onto the frying pan and fry on each side for atleast couple of mins, until the surface of the Panettone toast turns Golden brown
- Using kitchen tongs, gently lift up the slice and sear the sides too
- Take it off from the flame, cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven in the "keep warm" mode, until the bacon and eggs are ready
Frying the Bacon rashers:
- In the same pan, fry the bacon rashers, flipping once, until they are cooked to your liking (I prefer frying them until they turn crispy)
- Take them out onto a kitchen towel to absorb the excess fat
Frying the eggs, Sunny-side up:
- Keep the same frying pan on medium-low heat and cook the eggs in the bacon fat which was left behind in it after frying the bacon
- Gently, break two-eggs directly into the pan, ensuring not to break the yolk
- Cook until the whites appear set but the yolk is still runny
- With the help of a spatula, gently transfer the eggs onto a plate and gently dab with a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil
Plating:
- Take out the Panettone French Toast out of the oven and dust it with icing sugar and transfer to a serving plate
- Lay down the bacon rashers diagonally on top of the toast
- Gently place the eggs, alongside the toast and sprinkle them with salt and pepper
- Serve this delicious platter with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Enjoy!
Notes
- The slice needs to be around 1 inch thick. It is necessary to give the slice the necessary heft and not disintegrate when soaked in the custard
- Choose a slightly stale panettone. A drier slice absorbs more custard and holds its shape better than a fresh, soft slice
If you tried this Recipe, leaving a comment below the post along with a star rating, will enable more readers and cooking enthusiasts to discover these recipes! Also, if you are on Instagram, do share a picture of the dish and tag @one_plate_please to be featured in my stories!
Do follow me on Instagram , Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Reach me by email at contact@oneplateplease.com