Overnight Panettone French Toast

Panettone is a traditional sweet Italian bread filled with dried fruit and spices. Unlike fruit cake, it is very light and airy and is delicious when eaten sliced and toasted with butter or as a dessert with whipped cream or ice cream. To make this recipe you prepare the dish the night before by slicing the bread and leaving it to soak in the fridge in a rich egg custard. The next morning you simply add a little sugar to the top and pop it in the oven! Since it the bread is filled with sweet bits of dried fruit we choose to skip the fruit syrups and stick to serving it with warm maple syrup.

This tasty treat would be perfect for enjoying on Christmas morning or just any night the kids are home! Just remember that this needs to be prepared the night before and it'll be totally worth it!


Ingredients

• 1 loaf panettone (about 2 lbs on the box)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 ½ cups 1% milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Slice the loaf of panettone into about 8 to 10 even sized slices. 
2. Generously butter a 13 x 9 baking dish and fit the panettone slices in, allowing them to overlap. You may have to turn some slices sideways to make everything fit snugly – this is fine!
3. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl and pour the mixture evenly over the bread in the baking dish.
4. Push the bread down so it soaks up as much of the custard as possible. Cover the baking dish and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours, or up to 12.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and allow the bread and custard to come to room temperature.
6. Sprinkle the top lightly with some granulated sugar and bake it in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the french toast is puffed up.
7. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with warm maple syrup.