At this time next week the Englishman and I will be eating and drinking our way through France, and what better way to prepare for all the amazing French food than with some Pain D’Epices aka Honey Spice Bread.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been pouring through David Lebovitz’s blog and cookbook
and making a list of all of the French dishes I want to eat.  Steak frites s’il vous plait.

This honey spice bread is made with all-purpose and whole wheat flour along with a generous serving of honey and spices.  But don’t let the honey and spices fool you; the texture of this is definitely more of bread than a cake, and isn’t very sweet at all.  If you are looking for a dense bread with a bit of chewiness to it then this bread is for you.

Gluten and I aren’t exactly bffs at the moment so the Englishman enjoyed this bread and loved it.  Vive la France!

Honey Spice Bread (adapted from My Paris Kitchen)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground ginger

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Melt your honey, brown sugar, water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, then add 1 cup of your all-purpose flour.  Stir together and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk your 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda together.  Gently fold in your egg and egg yolk.

Add your honey mixture to your dry ingredients and stir until smooth.  Pour your batter into your loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Remove your bread from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.  Lebovitz recommends slicing the bread the following day and serving at room temperature.