By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Published: September 9, 2013
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If you go to a French honey stand or shop, or one of the many honey fairs that occur during the summer in Provence, pain d’epices – spice bread – will always be one of the items for sale along with the honey, as honey is a key an ingredient in these breads. This recipe is based on one by French Pastry School founder Jacquy Pfeiffer. His recipe, which does not contain any butter or oil, results in a very moist bread. You will need a small loaf pan, no bigger than 4 x 8 inches, or you can make mini-muffins.
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175 grams (1/2 cup) honey
20 grams (2 tablespoons) brown sugar
62 grams (1/2 cup) whole wheat flour
62 grams (1/2 cup) rye flour
5 grams (1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground anise
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 grams (1/4 teaspoon) salt
55 grams (1 extra large) egg
50 grams (3 tablespoons) milk
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small (8 x 4-inch or smaller) bread pan and dust lightly with flour. Line with parchment if desired. Alternatively, use buttered and floured mini-muffin molds or silicone mini muffin molds.
2. Place the honey and sugar in a small saucepan, insert a thermometer and heat to 158 degrees while stirring with a rubber spatula.
3. Sift together the whole wheat flour, rye flour, baking powder spices and salt and transfer them to the bowl of your mixer.
4. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and whole eggs. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the milk and egg mixture. Stop the mixer and, using a rubber spatula or a plastic bowl scraper, scrape up any flour sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Add the warm honey mixture and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape into the bread pan or spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons into each mini-mold, filling them 3/4 full.
5. Bake mini-cakes for 15 to 20 minutes, loaves for 40 to 45 minutes, until deep brown and a tester comes out clean. Remove from the heat, unmold and cool on a rack. If making a loaf, for best results, once cool wrap tightly in plastic and allow the cake to rest for a day.
Yield: About 40 mini-cakes or 1 small loaf, serving 12.
Advance preparation: The bread keeps well for a week and freezes well for a month or longer.
Nutritional information per serving: 97 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 17 milligrams cholesterol; 22 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 188 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein
Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”