National Baking Week: Pain d’épices

by Heavenly Housewife on 22. Oct, 2009 in Cake, Snack, baking, bread


Well, it’s kind of coming toward the end of National Baking Week here in the UK (which runs between October 19th to the 25th), but I figure better late then never, right? This is a recipe which is easy to make, but not that easy to source the ingredients for. I had such a hard time finding the whole anise seeds (note, this is not star anise, it is something else). I actually brought a little jar of it back from Paris. I wasn’t able to find it in the UK at all. Is it called something else here, I wonder? The rye flour wasn’t to easy to find either, but one day I was shopping at a Tesco that I don’t normally visit and there it was :) .
This recipe for spice bread comes from David Lebovitz’s website, a great source for all things Parisian! I was totally intrigued when I read about it. It is not a cake in loaf form, it doesn’t even have any sugar. I wouldn’t exactly call it a bread either because it has loads of honey and some delicious warm spices (including black pepper!). So, how is this unusual bread/cake used? I had mine as toast with a bit of butter, but I am also really interested to try it with some cream cheese. Apparently it is an excellent accompaniment to foie gras, daaaaaaaahlings. I’m sure you all have some of that lurking in the back of your fridge, right? Anyway, the bread is really lovely. It is sweet, but not very sweet, and I did not taste the black pepper. Instead it just emits a little spicy bit of warmth. It is a fabulous accompaniment with some tea, and it seems perfect for a cozy snack now that it’s getting chilly outside.

I had this recipe bookmarked for a very long time, and now that I have my magical anise seeds, I couldn’t resist trying it out. I can’t wait to hear what Mr P thinks about this one when he gets home. The following is the recipe copied and pasted from David Lebovitz’s website (and you can also find it here).


Pain d’Epices

One 9-inch (23cm) loaf


Adapted from Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker


3 1/2 cups (455g) flour
1/2 cup (60g) dark rye flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds (whole)
2 ounces (55g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup (340g) honey
1 tablespoon finely-grated orange zest
1 cup (240ml) water


1. Preheat the oven to 350º (180ºC). Butter a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan, dust it with flour, then tap out any excess.


2. Sift together the flour, rye flour, baking soda, the ground spices and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle in the anise seeds.


3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, mix together the butter, egg, honey (or honey and jam), and orange zest.


4. Add the water, then add the dry ingredients in three additions, scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed in evenly.


5. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top will bake to a somewhat dark color, which is normal.


6. Cool 10 minutes, then tip the cake out of the loaf pan. Let cool completely before slicing.


Storage: Pain d’épices can be wrapped in plastic and stored for at least a week, during which time the flavors will meld and it’ll get denser. It can also be frozen for a few months.

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One Response to “National Baking Week: Pain d’épices”

  1. Cheri Mickonis 01. Apr, 2010 at 1:42 am #

    This is my first visit here, but I will be back soon, because I really like the way you are writing, it is so simple and honest