Homemade Honey Spice Bread (Pain d’Épices)

Homemade honey spice bread, or pain d’épices, is a soft, fragrant loaf made with a high proportion of honey, rye flour and a blend of gentle spices. A bold honey such as chestnut honey or forest honey keeps its character through baking and gives the loaf an amber colour and a slight bitterness that balances the spices.

Method

1. Make the honey mixture In a saucepan, gently heat the milk, butter and chestnut honey until the butter has melted, without letting it boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about ten minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients In a mixing bowl, combine the rye flour, wheat flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices, orange zest and salt.
3. Add the egg Beat the egg, then stir it into the lukewarm honey and milk mixture. A liquid that is too hot would cook the egg: it should feel barely warm to the touch.
4. Mix the batter Pour the liquid over the flours and mix with the spatula until you have a smooth, thick, glossy batter, without working it any further.
5. Rest the batter Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160 °C and butter and flour the loaf tin, or line it with baking paper.
6. Bake the loaf Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. If the top colours too quickly, cover it with a sheet of foil halfway through: honey caramelises faster than sugar.
7. Check and turn out Check that it is done with the blade of a knife, which should come out dry. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack.
8. Leave to mature before slicing Once the loaf has cooled completely, wrap it in cling film and wait 24 to 48 hours before slicing.

Which honey should you choose?

Chestnut honey harvested in Provence is the classic choice for a spice bread with character: dark, woody and slightly bitter, it stands up to the cinnamon and ginger. Forest honey, a honeydew honey from oaks and pines, brings rounder, malty notes. For a milder loaf, lavender honey gives a paler, more floral result. Baking softens some of the most delicate aromas, which is why bold honeys remain the most noticeable on the palate.

Tips and variations

• Resting for 24 to 48 hours is not a whim: the moisture spreads evenly through the loaf, the crumb becomes softer and the spices blend together.
• Without rye flour, use 250 g of plain flour: the loaf will be paler and slightly less dense.
• Add 50 g of candied orange peel or chopped dried fruit when mixing the batter.
• If your honey has crystallised, which is natural for a raw honey, it will turn liquid again within a few minutes in the saucepan with the milk and butter.

Storage

Well wrapped in cling film or kept in an airtight tin, spice bread keeps for about ten days at room temperature, away from heat. It also freezes very well, sliced and wrapped, for about two months. Find more sweet and savoury ideas in our honey recipes.

Frequently asked questions

Why wait before cutting spice bread?

Straight after baking, the crumb is still crumbly and the spices have not yet blended. After 24 to 48 hours under cling film, the moisture from the honey spreads through the whole loaf, which becomes softer and more fragrant.

Which honey should you use for spice bread?

A bold honey, such as chestnut honey or forest honey, gives a traditional spice bread that is dark and aromatic. Lavender honey is a good choice if you prefer a milder, more floral taste.

Can you make spice bread without rye flour?

Yes. Replace the rye flour with the same amount of plain flour. The loaf will be paler and a little lighter, but the recipe works in the same way.

Why is my spice bread dry?

Most often, it has baked for too long or been left uncovered. Start checking whether it is done at 50 minutes and wrap the loaf as soon as it has cooled so that it stays moist.