Pain d'Épices (French Honey Spice Bread)

A dark, dense honey loaf made with rye and wheat flour and warmed with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, anise and orange zest.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is part of the collection’s French batch and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• 3½ cups (455 g) flour
• ½ cup (60 g) dark rye flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon whole anise seeds
• 2 ounces (55 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 cup (340 g) honey
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 cup (240 ml) water

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Black Pepper · Cinnamon · Honey

1. Heat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) loaf pan, dust it with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Sift together both flours, the baking soda, ground spices and salt, and sprinkle in the anise seeds.
3. Mix the butter, egg, honey and orange zest by hand or in a stand mixer.
4. Add the water, then the dry ingredients in three additions, scraping the bowl.
5. Bake 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean; the top bakes quite dark, which is normal.
6. Cool 10 minutes, turn out, and cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Source Adapted from David Lebovitz, “Pain d’Épices,” davidlebovitz.com, after Flo Braker’s Baking for All Occasions. The source prints no yield; it makes one 9-inch loaf.

A note on the honey The source’s method mentions “honey (or honey and jam)”, but its list gives honey only. Braker’s original used lavender honey.

Serving Sold by honey merchants in loaves or cut squares; served in thin slices under foie gras, or cubed into Belgian carbonnade.

The photo The photograph shows the crumb of a pain d’épices.