French Spice Bread (Pain d’épices)
French Spice Bread is a type of gingerbread, but it's not the crunchy cookie kind. American spice cakes are often buttery and moist. True pain d'épices is pain, or bread, and its texture is both chewy and dense. It's a dark, cozy loaf full of warm spices. This bread has been a French favorite for centuries. You'll find it at Christmas markets all over France, sometimes shaped into little hearts. Dijon is famous for its mustard, but it's just as well known for its spice bread. One more nice thing about this loaf is that it tastes even better the next day, as the spices have time to settle in. It keeps well for up to one week and can be frozen for up to two months, so it's great for baking ahead or giving as a gift. When the weather turns cool, I find myself reaching for more spices in my baking. Sometimes it's pumpkin spice, and sometimes it's something closer to gingerbread. This loaf is somewhere in between. Enjoy a slice with coffee or tea, or toast it with a little butter. If you're in the mood for something warm and spiced this season, give this French spice bread a try. This recipe is based on David Lebovitz's recipe. More gingerbread recipes: Chocolate Gingerbread Polish Gingerbread-Piernik
Servings: 10 yield(s)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup honey (240 g)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (90 g)
  • 3/4 cup water (180 ml)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (175 g)
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour (90 g)
  • 1 tsp baking powder (Preferably aluminum-free.)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp anise seed, whole or ground
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) loaf pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. Put the honey, brown sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 1 cup (140 g) of the all-purpose flour. Set it aside until it cools to room temperature.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the rest of the all-purpose flour (⅓ cup or 45 g) with the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, anise, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and the egg yolk together.
  5. Stir half of the cooled honey mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, then the rest of the honey mixture. Stir only until the batter is smooth. If you see small lumps of flour, give it a quick whisk to break them up.
  6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  7. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack, and let it cool completely.