Pain d’Épices (Spice Bread)

This rich, dark spice bread is a French classic. It’s perfect for toasting and spreading with butter, or enjoying as is. Pain d’épices is also lovely sliced and served with cheese.

Ingredients

• 250ml (1 cup) water
• 250ml (1 cup) honey
• 500g (4 cups) whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C (300F).
2. Bring the water and honey to a boil in a large saucepan.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
4. Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan.
5. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Potential Changes & Improvements

This spice bread is delicious as is, but there are a few potential changes and improvements that could be made:

• Try using different types of flour for a different flavor and texture.
• Add in some chopped nuts or dried fruit for a bit of extra flavor and texture.
• Change up the spices to suit your personal preferences.

What Other Food It Works Well With

Pain d’épices is delicious on its own, or you could try it with:

• Butter
• Cheese
• Jam
• Honey

Common Mistakes

When making pain d’épices, it’s important to avoid these common mistakes:

• Over-baking the bread – this will make it dry and crumbly.
• Not allowing the bread to cool completely before slicing – this will make it difficult to slice.
• Using too much flour – this will make the bread dense and heavy.

Nutritional Information

This recipe makes 1 loaf of bread. The nutritional information is as follows:

• Calories: 2,000
• Fat: 100g
• Saturated Fat: 20g
• Cholesterol: 300mg
• Sodium: 1,500mg
• Carbohydrates: 300g
• Fiber: 20g
• Sugar: 200g
• Protein: 30g

Allergens

This recipe contains the following allergens:

• Wheat
• Eggs
• Dairy