Pain D'Epices for 2021

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Pain D’Épices

Gluten (and Dairy) Free Spice Cake

Adapted by My Little Blue Heron from Les cakes de Laurent sans gluten & sans lait by Laurent Dran

Pain D’Épices is traditionally eaten at New Year’s. This loaf is a warmly spiced honey cake. Sweetness and warmth to usher in the new year is perfect. We're going to emerge from COVID, we have a new president and our first woman of color as vice president, and although we're living in the strangest of times, we're living in the most historic of times, too. It's interesting and there's much to be grateful for. Let's bake!   

Dran’s recipe calls for superfine rice flour. I replaced this with oat and sorghum flours. This combination removes that gluten-free ‘grit’, improving texture and mouth feel. You’ll be astonished that it’s gluten free. This only grit remaining is its spice legs and warmth.

The French home cook doesn’t prepare super-sized cakes. This loaf is smaller than what you’re probably used to baking. The loaf pan you’ll need is 16 x 9 cm (6.3 x 3.5 in inches .. or 6 x 4 should work). Simpler solution: double the recipe and make one large loaf and a small loaf or some cupcakes.

I’ve made this by hand, with a Kitchen Aid and with a Kitchen Aid hand mixer.

You MUST have a kitchen scale that weighs in grams. If you don’t, they’re so easy to get on Amazon. Here’s a link. This one’s $10 American on Amazon.

Guar v. Xanthan? It's an ongoing war. Pick a card.

Oven temperature is 356º F. If you don’t have a digital oven, that’s fine. Set it to 350º F. and the bake may take a bit longer.

A truc that Dran recommends is to slit the cake down the middle. He says that a small, quick slit will help to develop a “big bump”, like a madeleine. 

My experience is that the batter is far too thin to slit when you begin the bake, so you can make your “petite incision” once the cake or cakes are firm enough to do so. (My loaves develop big bumps sans the petite incisions.) 

MLBH Trucs: 

Use organic expeller pressed refined coconut oil (Spectrum brand is lovely). Your cake won't taste like coconut.

Gluten free baking is better in dark loaf pans. 

I prefer Julia Child’s recipe for equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves and mace. I like dark (try buckwheat) honey. It’ll complement the flour, and round out the warm spices. If you don’t have buckwheat honey, use whatever you have. 

In New York, daylight is at a minimum. It’s cold. Snow's coming. We're all inside and staying safe from COVID. Fill your home with fragrant spices and welcome 2021 with our new president and VICE PRESIDENT!, good health, warmth and love. 

d’épeace, be well, safe, happy and always love, love all ways,

jane

🎡

Pain D’Épices

Preparation: 

Using spray release or a neutral oil, coat the baking pans well.

Preheat the oven to 356º F. (see note above.)  

Ingredients: 

25 g. oat flour

25 g. sorghum flour

25 g. potato starch

35 g. buckwheat flour

4 g. baking powder (aluminum free is best)

1 gram guar or xanthan gum

60 g. dark brown sugar 

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground mace*(see below for spice mix closer to Julia's!)

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt 

1 egg, size large (about 50 grams) at room temperature

110 g. water, room temperature (approx.. ½ c.)

85 g. honey, buckwheat preferred

55 g. refined coconut oil, brought to liquid state. Do this in the microwave at half power until melted.

*(Spice mix, closer to Julia Child's, try: 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. ground mace - closer to Julia Child's cake.)

Procedure: 

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside.

In another bowl (or if using an electric stand mixer, in that bowl), measure out ingredients, and whisk together for a minute.

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.

Pour into prepared pan(s) and let sit for about 15 minutes before putting into the oven. Bake, depending on your pan(s) and your oven for 30-45 minutes. Bake in the center of your oven. (If baking cupcakes, baking time will be reduced.) If making the 'small incision', when loaf/loaves are firm enough to do so, using a very sharp knife or a rasp, make a quick incision along top and continue baking until cakes are firm, and a tester or toothpick comes with moist crumbs clinging. (But 'just' clinging because you don't want a gloppy pain.)

Remove from oven and cool 10-15 minutes on baking rack before releasing from pans. Cool completely before wrapping. (If you can be patient and wait, give a little time for the spices to settle. The spices will have time to mature.)

Wrapped well, your loaf will keep for a couple of days at room temperature. You can refrigerate it and bring it to room temperature before serving. This is delicious ‘as is’, with ice cream, some fruit, or for a real treat, toast and serve with butter and jam. (I love apricot or raspberry.)

Frozen, it'll keep well for several months. 

Pain d'épices - Honey Spice Loaf

Honey Spice Loaf(Pain dépices)

Offering a holiday loaf that needs to ‘cure’ for a week on Christmas Eve day can only come from a shiksa. Still, according to Julia, this French classic is enjoyed at New Year's. This will be perfect on New Year’s Day with some excellent quality butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea. What a perfect way to begin 2014! 

 

If you have leftover glacéed fruit, or if you find it in the bargain aisle at the supermarket after Christmas, here’s a perfect way to use it. If you have rye flour in your fridge or pantry, you’ll use it for this recipe. If you don’t have rye flour, you can try whole wheat, but it won’t be as compact. Here’s an excellent resource from Better Homes and Gardens that will teach you about flour, providing substitutions as well as how to measure it. Perhaps you have leftover “light rye” flour from the honey cake recipe from this past Rosh Hashanah? FYI: Bob’s Red Mill adds wheat gluten to their light rye flour, so it won’t be as dense. Seriously, rye flour shouldn’t be such a chore to find.

You’ll need ground almonds (almond meal/flour), also a product that is becoming much easier to find in every day supermarkets. You can grind your own if you have a Vitamix (you’ll need the dry grain container). Julia says you can use dark rum or bourbon. I sniff tested both and opted for rum. If you’re a bourbonite, substitute bourbon for rum.

Channel Julia whilst you bake – relax and have fun. Follow directions and be confident. You’re the boss.

Your home will smell glorious; and in a few days, you’ll slice into an aromatic 2014 with this gorgeous spice bread.

pain d'peace and love

and to those who are celebrating:

a very happy Christmas to you!

jane

Ready to be wrapped and put away for the week.

Pain d’épices

Honey Spice Loaf

Adapted from Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook” by Blue Heron Kitchen

Butter an 8-cup loaf pan, line with buttered parchment or wax paper; or several paper loaf pans (no need to butter these), or small individual loaf pans, sprayed with release or buttered.

Preheat oven to 325º F. and position rack in middle of oven.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups honey

1 cup granulated white sugar

¾ cup boiling water (boil more for rinsing the glacéed fruit)

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3 ½ cups rye flour

(added to this basic ‘dough’)

2/3 cup almond flour (blanched almonds, ground)

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. anise extract

¼ cup rum

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves         

½ tsp. ground mace

1 cup mixed glacéed fruits (diced and rinsed in boiling water)

Procedure:

You can do this by hand, but with an electric stand mixer, this is very quick and easy (use beater blade).

Cover glacéed fruit with boiling water briefly (you don’t want the fruit to absorb too much water) and drain. Set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer (or in a large mixing bowl) beat together: honey, sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved. Add salt and baking soda and rye flour. Beat in additional ingredients.

Turn batter into prepared pan(s), about 2/3 full.

Baking time depends on size of loaves. Individuals will be done in 30-40 minutes. Large loaf 1-1 ¼ hours. What is critical is that the oven isn’t opened until the loaf is baked 2/3 of the way through. (in most cases, about 45 minutes.) The cakes will split down the middle. The loaf is done when a skewer comes out clean. Some shrinkage from the sides is preferable. More done than less done is preferable.

Cool in loaf pan until warm and then release (about 10-15 minutes, depending on size of loaf) onto side. Then turn right side up. Cool completely on a rack. The loaf must be cold before wrapping air-tight and storing. Keep wrapped for at least a week. Wrapped and refrigerated, these will keep for several months!