from French Pastry 101
Pain d’Epices is a French-style spiced quick bread, loosely translated as gingerbread. The French version is less heavily spiced and is made with rye flour and honey. The result is a moist, tender and mild-flavored cake.
Ingredients
½ cup (120 g) whole milk
2 star anise
2 whole cloves
6 green cardamom pods
¾ cup (250 g) dark liquid honey
¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (125 g) whole rye flour
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp (15 g) baking powder
2 tsp (10 g) salt
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp (10 g) vanilla extract
2 tsp (10 g) grated fresh ginger
1/8 tsp (0.5 g) ground white pepper
½ tsp (2.5g) ground cinnamon
½ tsp (2.5 g) ground nutmeg
1 tsp (5 g) finely grated orange zest
1 tsp (5 g) finely grated lemon zest
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish (optional)
Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
Line a 1 ½ pound loaf pan (10x5x3 inches/25x13x8 cm) with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, heat the milk, star anise, cloves and cardamom pods over medium heat until the milk simmers, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the milk steep for 15 minutes.
Turn the heat back on to medium and add the honey and butter. Heat the mixture until the honey fully dissolves. Strain out the spices and discard them.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rye flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the warm milk and honey mixture. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds, until there is no more dryness.
Add in the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, ginger, spices and zests. Mix on low for another 30 seconds, just until incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing in the bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place it on a baking sheet.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before unmolding it and transferring it to a cooling rack. Garnish it with cinnamon sticks and lemon slices, if desired. Store the cake at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to 3 days.
Prep time: 45 minutes
Makes 1 loaf
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: You can ice this cake with a festive frosting or dust with icing sugar. Makes a great breakfast/brunch slice slathered with butter.
Reprinted with permission from French Pastry 101 by Betty Hung. Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo credit: Betty Hung. https://yummyworkshop.com/2018/10/28/french-pastry-101/
