Chocolate Orange Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding... is there a more comforting combination for a winter pud??

I was in the shops on Friday night to stock up on ingredients for what has become a traditional feature of our Bonfire night, Bailey's hot chocolate (scroll to the bottom for a bonus recipe) but I was also in need of inspiration for a seriously fast dessert.

I was heading home to make the hot chlorate and I had a total of 20 minutes to get that done and also compile a pud that would satisfy the hoards when we returned rather chilly to my Mum's house for a post fireworks supper. My thoughts were that it needed to be comforting, quick and transportable.

Then I spied Aldi's Panettone, inspiration struck and I quickly headed to the chocolate aisle to grab some of their dark chocolate with orange and almond pieces. The plan was to assemble the bread and butter pudding, keeping the custard mix separate. Then when we got back to Mum's all that I needed to do was pour the milky custard mix over the pud and pop it into the oven.

And wonderfully that plan was a complete success... it involved no more than 5 ingredients (Jamie Oliver would no doubt approve), the prep really didn't take me any time at all and I was sauntering up the roads of Wiveliscome towards an inferno of a bonfire by 7pm.

Chocolate Orange Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

To make enough bread and butter pudding for 6-8 people you will need the following:

500g Panettone - Cut into slices and then cut into triangle quarters
100g Dark Chocolate with Orange, broken into small chunks (even if you tend to pref milk chocolate, I would still recommend that you go dark because this pud is sweet enough)

For the custard mix, beat 3 eggs with a pint of whole milk and a tablespoon and a half of granulated sugar. (because I needed to transport the dish, I cracked the eggs straight into a half full 2 pint milk bottle, followed by the sugar. I popped the top back on a gave the bottle a vigorous shake.

Arrange the panettone triangles in an oven dish in rows and nestle the chocolate pieces between each layer. I don't butter each slice as would be traditional with normal bread because the panettone is enriched with plenty of the stuff.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160C, then pour the milk mix over the bread and chocolate. Dust another tablespoon of granulated sugar across the top.

Pop into the oven for 30-40 minutes. It's done when the top is browned and crisp and there is a slight yet squidgy firmness to the custard ( I know that's a rather contradictory instruction but you'll know what I mean when you see it.

Serve warm with a generous dollop of clotted cream.

I have to say, that I hadn't planned to blog this recipe (hence the pretty rubbish, last minute photography) but it went down so well with my fellow diners that I thought it ought to be shared. For a last minute culinary decision, this was a goodun.

P.S. The Bailey's Hot Chocalate is a simple concoction of cocoa, dark chocolate, honey, baileys and milk with a little cornflour to thicken.