Spice Bread (Pain d'épices)

Name: Spice Bread (Pain d'épices)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves to serve 4
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

Ready in 45 mins

Recipe by Graham

Pain d'épice (Spice Bread) is a Christmas favourite in France. It's very similar to a gingerbread loaf, though there are more spices involved. It also has plenty of other uses in cooking, such as in my delicious recipe for Foie Gras Escalopes on Spice Bread or, equally nice, Foie Gras Escalopes with Dates and Pears (Escalopes de foie gras panées aux dattes et au pain d'épice, poires rôties).

Preparation Time

10 Minutes

Cooking Time

35 Minutes

Ingredients for Spice Bread (Pain d'épices)

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

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

How to Cook Spice Bread (Pain d'épices)

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.
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.
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.

GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
You can test if your Spice Bread is cooked by inserting a knitting needle or metal skewer. If the dough sticks to the needle, cook a little longer until the needle comes out clean.