Panettone French Toast is What We Eat for Christmas Day Breakfast. Thi

Here’s what you need:

• ½ loaf of Panettone: for 4 servings you might only need half of a loaf but trust me, you will either make more Panettone French toast or find it delicious on its own. Around Christmas time you should easily find them in local stores or here online. Of course, you can always find a recipe to make your own.
• 2 eggs: you will need those to keep the light, airy Panettone from falling apart.
• ½ cup of milk: this will make your French toast so luscious.
• 1 tsp of cinnamon: as is the case with most of my recipes, this Panettone French toast is very flexible. Feel free to add more or less cinnamon depending on your preference.
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract: I love making my own vanilla extract but you can use store-bought just as well.
• 3-5 tablespoons of butter: we will use butter to fry the French toast.

Having these tools and equipment ensures that you can easily and successfully make this recipe:

• a shallow bowl: anything will work but it is important that your bowl is wide enough to accommodate the Panettone slices. You also want it shallow enough so that you can easily flip and remove those slices. A pasta plate often works really well.
• a whisk: you could use a fork but a whisk makes beating your eggs a lot easier. It also helps with incorporating the cinnamon, vanilla, and milk in the end.
• 10.5″ cast iron skillet: cast iron is the material of choice in my kitchen for a whole number of reasons. I love it especially since once it’s well seasoned it is very non-stick. Of course, you can use any skillet you have!
• a spatula: the Panettone French toast slices can be a bit tricky to flip. Therefore, I prefer using the widest spatula I can find.

1. If you are making a double batch or just want to keep the French toasts warm, I suggest you warm your oven to 200˚F.
2. Unwrap the Panettone. You will notice that is has paper around its bottom. You can gently peel all the paper off. If I want to preserve the other half of the Panettone for later, I often choose to leave the paper on.
3. Cut 4 slices off the Panettone. Note: No matter how you slice it, there is no way to make them evenly big. If you left the paper on, you can cut right through is with a good (bread) knife. Set the slices aside.
4. Carefully place the soaked Panettone slice into the hot skillet. Fry on the first side until golden brown.
5. With a spatula, carefully flip it onto the other side and fry until golden brown.
6. When done, remove the Panettone French toast from the skillet and transfer to a plate. You can keep it warm in a warm oven.
7. Continue with the remaining slices.
8. Serve the Panettone French Toast as is, with a dusting of powdered sugar, some maple syrup, fruit, or your favorite toppings.

I personally think that Panettone French toast is best when enjoyed fresh.

In order to save time, you can make the egg-milk mixture the night before and keep it in the refrigerator. You can also cut the Panettone into slices the night before. If you do, keep them in the Panettone bag or any other airtight bag to keep them from drying out.

Even though there are only a few ingredients in this recipe, I will give you some substitutions:

• gluten-free Panettone: a quick Google search revealed that you can both purchase a gluten-free Panettone, as well as find a recipe to make your own.
• other bread: of course, you do not have to use Panettone for this French toast recipe. You can use any bread, brioche, or cake you already have at home. Feel free to experiment here!
• alternative milk: this recipe is perfect if you want to use a plant-based milk since both the taste and the texture will be the same as with cow’s milk
• butter substitute: I think that the taste of butter really adds to the luxurious taste of this Panettone French toast. However, you can use any other oil or butter substitute.

German Christmas Stollen

Gingerbread Sauce

Lebkuchen (German “gingerbread”)

Cinnamon Star Cookies

Cheese Fondue

Panettone Holiday Cake

Gluten-free Panettone

10.5″ Cast Iron Skillet

Stainless steel whisk

Stainless steel spatula