Recipe

Step 1: Heat the oven to 170 ºC. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl, then whisk in the cream and milk.

Step 2: Butter the panettone slices and arrange in overlapping slices to cover the base of a 14” oval gratin or other shallow ovenproof dish.

Step 3: Pour the custard through a sieve over and around the panettone and tuck the vanilla pod beneath the custard in the centre.

Step 4: Place the dish in a bain-marie (water bath): fill a roasting pan with cold water that comes two thirds of the way up the sides. Bake for 1 hour until the custard is puffy and set and the bread golden.

Step 5: Remove vanilla pod and discard. Brush the surface of the bread with the apricot jam; this is optional but it gives the pudding a lovely sticky glaze. Serve immediately.