Makes 2 loaves
There are many versions of this recipe. Anne Willan, of La Varenne Cooking School in Burgundy, included her pain d’épices in a couple of her many books on French Cuisine, ‘The country cooking of France’ and ‘Real Food’. Recently, in St Jean de Losne, Burgundy, our host cooked her grandmother’s pain d’épices for us in tiny loaf tins, often used for Financiers. This is my favourite recipe complied from a variety of sources. It is an unusual ‘cake’ or bread made with rye flour, spices and honey. Although the list of spices is long, it takes only a few minutes to make. You may also halve the quantities to make one loaf.
| 500g honey
1 cup milk 100g caster sugar 1 tbsp each lemon and orange zest 100g rye flour 400g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda |
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground star anise 1 tsp ground coriander seeds ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves 2 egg yolks 60g almond meal 2 tbsp chopped candied orange |
Gently warm the honey and milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until tepid. I/f the mixture gets too warm, the milk will curdle. Dissolve sugar in the mixture, then stir in the citrus zest. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line 2 loaf pans.
Sieve the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks, then add to the honey mixture, stirring well to incorporate. Fold the sifted ingredients and almond meal into the honey mixture, then add the candied orange and mix until smooth.
Divide the batter among the loaf pans, then bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
I like this bread spread with butter, but it may be served un-buttered; it is lovely toasted and then spread with butter as well.
