Pain d’épices Alsacien

Name: Pain d’épices Alsacien
Yield: Makes two 8½-inch (21 cm) loaf cakes
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1⅔ cups (205 g) rye flour, sifted; ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 g) packed brown sugar; 2½ teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 2 cups (500 ml) good honey; 2 teaspoons ground star anise; 7 teaspoons ground cinnamon (preferably Saigon); 2½ teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; 4 eggs, beaten; ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 g) butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the molds; 2¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour, sifted; 2 teaspoons salt

Preparation info

Makes
two
8½ inch 21 cm ) loaf cakes

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Gabriel Kreuther

By Gabriel Kreuther

Published 2021

About

This is a traditional holiday bread, in the same family as American gingerbread, but much more complex given that it uses both wheat and rye flour, is loaded with spices, and is rich with honey, sugar, and butter. Like many heavily spiced foods, this spiced bread should rest for 36 hours in an airtight container before being served so that the flavors can develop.