Spice Bread (Pain d'épices)

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 45 mins

Ingredients

3½ fl oz - milk

8 oz - honey (choose a strong scented honey, like heather)

4 oz - butter

7 oz - self-raising flour (self-rising)

18 oz - brown sugar (turbinado sugar)

1 - egg

  pinch - salt

½ teaspoon - cinnamon

1 teaspoon - ginger

2 - cloves

½ teaspoon - ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon - cinnamon

2 tablespoons - crushed hazelnuts

2 tablespoons - crushed almonds

1 tablespoon - shredded coconut

1 - orange

Directions

1. Gently warm the milk in a saucepan, then add the honey and stir well to melt the honey and fuse the two together. Place the butter in another saucepan and gently melt it. Add it to the milk and honey and stir. Add the flour, little by little, stirring briskly all the time to avoid lumps.
2. Incorporate the brown sugar, the egg and the salt, mixing constantly. Add the spices, crushed nuts, and coconut. (You can adjust the spices to suit your own taste.) Grate the zest from the orange and add to the mix.
3. Pour the mix into an oblong cake (or bread) tin and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 5 - 375ºF - 190ºC) for 30 to 35 minutes. Turn out onto a wire tray and allow to cool.