Today we're doing "Pain d'épices", sometime incorrectly translated as gingerbread, a delicious spiced loaf sweetened with honey. It's a compact bread to slice finely, perfect for breakfast or tea time toast.
Origins of this cake go back as far as Ancient Egypt, where they first made a type of "honey bread". Europeans brought back the recipe during the Crusades, and it's around the XIV century that some bakers from Reims, had the idea to add a combination of spices to the bread. They created the Corporation of Spice Bread Makers of Reims in 1571, claimed monopoly on the recipe, and were later officially recognized by Henry IV of France in 1596.
Nowadays, the recipe has some variation but we're making the original Reims Pain d'épices, without milk, eggs and butter. If you're living in Ireland, you might need visit a specialized store to get the rye flour (we got it from Holland&Barrett).
To unleash the full potential of this cake, you will need to roll it in cling film and leave to rest for 2 to 3 days (if you can wait that long) for the flavors to spread in the cake, but it may as well be eaten out of the oven ! Also, because of the amount of honey used in this recipe, this cake can be preserved a long time - probably 3-4 weeks - that is, of course, only if you're using real honey.
 15 minutes |
 60 minutes |
 10-12 slices |
