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. 

Cornbread

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CORNBREAD

Adapted from Monique Volz by My Little Blue Heron

This cornbread is old-timey baking. It’s simple to make, not overly sweet, great on its own or as an accompaniment for a meal or with tea. 

Oat flour is easy to find in the U.S. Arrowhead Mills or Anthony’s are two great brands. 

You can use regular (medium grind) cornmeal, or combine it, half medium and half coarse grind, if you prefer a coarser texture. 

I recommend trying vanilla powder. There are many brands available, and instead of adding to your wet mixture, whisk it in with dry ingredients.

You won’t need a mixer or any power appliances other than your oven. (But if you prefer, use your electric stand mixer.)

Make sure you bake your cornbread long enough. Under-bake it, and it’ll be gummy and leaden. Over-baked, you'll use it for stuffing a chicken or a turkey.

Remove muffins or loaves from their tins as soon as you can handle them so they don’t steam themselves to gloppiness.

These will keep for a day or two, wrapped well. They freeze very well, and if you heat them, please keep them wrapped in foil while in the oven. Or use a microwave.

MLB truc: In choosing a mixing bowl: use a very large one .. larger than you need.

It's cold out. Stay in and bake. 

peace, love and cornbread,

jane

Cornbread

Ingredients:

Dry Mix:

1 cup gluten free medium grind cornmeal 

OR ½ cup medium grind and ½ cup coarse grind cornmeal

1 cup oat flour

2 tsp. gluten free baking powder

¼ tsp. vanilla powder

½ tsp. sea salt

Wet Mix:

1 cup dairy free or cow's milk

1 tsp. vinegar (activator)

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

¼ cup - more, if you like it sweet - honey (or maple syrup or agave) 

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

(or vegan butter - if salted, adjust salt in the dry ingredient mix.)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375º F. and prepare 12 muffin tins, lining them with cups, or greasing them generously. Or, if making a loaf, grease a loaf pan. (Nonstick is fine, but still give it a spritz. I use ghee/oil spray.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined. (Or use an electric stand mixer)

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. By hand, a whisk is a good choice to smooth the batter.

Divide into prepared muffin tin or pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the sides come away from edges and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging.

Pumpkin Chia Pudding - Ayurvedic for a change?

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Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Adapted from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell 

by Blue Heron Kitchen 

I like this recipe so much. It’s gluten and dairy free. It has no processed sugar. It has protein! Enjoy this pudding as a meal, for breakfast, lunch, or as dessert. It’s not too sweet. Of course, you may wish to make it sweeter. I had some date issues (the Medjool date kind, thank you), so I left them as chunky treats in my pudding. They didn’t blend (in my Vitamix, go figure.) I recommend that unless your dates are extremely moist fresh, soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes before adding to the blender. Or, you can add date or coconut sugar or a tablespoon of raw honey. 

The spice mix (recipe below) is a great one to have on hand. It’s so nice to change it up and substitute it for your conventional pumpkin pie spice. Add it to your seasonal baked goods. It’s really lovely and an added perk is that it'll aid your digestion!

Ayurvedic cooking is a world that I’ve just begun to explore. Seasonal cooking is integral to this world. It makes sense to eat what’s in season, doesn’t it? When it’s cold, have soup. When it’s hot, eat cooling foods. When it’s Thanksgiving Indigenous People's Day, eat pumpkin.

Kate O’Donnell writes cookbooks for westerners. I recommend you look at her books.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. 

peace, love, pumpkin and

thank god for Joe and Kamala!

jane

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. chia seeds (I use organic)

½ c. non-dairy milk (almond, oat, cashew)

½ c. pumpkin puree (homemade is best, but if using canned, organic is best)

½ tsp. vanilla extract or ¼ tsp. pure vanilla powder

1 Medjool date or 2 deglet moor dates, pitted, soaked for 10 minutes and drained

1 tsp. pure maple syrup, organic is best

1 tsp. ‘everyday sweet spice mix’* (recipe below) (or pumpkin pie spice)

optional dash of freshly grated nutmeg for garnish.

Procedure:

In a small bowl, soak the chia seed in the non-dairy milk, for five minutes, whisking frequently to make sure they don’t clump.

In the container of your blender, put the remaining ingredients except the nutmeg. After five minutes of soaking, put the chia seed mixture on top.

Blend on high for two minutes, until smooth and whipped.

Put into two dessert bowls or one bowl for a main dish. 

Serve with a dash of freshly grated nutmeg.

*Everyday Sweet Spice Mix

(You can halve this recipe if quantity is too large.)

2 Tbsp. ginger

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. ground cardamom

mix together with a whisk and store in a small jar.