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Epicurious

French Spiced Bread

By Kamel Saci

4.3

(14)

Loaf of French spice bread on a wooden cutting board.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks

Kamel Saci, head baker at New York's Il Buco Alimentari, flavors his pain d'épices, a classic French spiced bread, with a vibrant spice mixture of star anise, ginger, and cinnamon from spice blender La Boîte. It's great for a sweet toast in the morning, or it can be sliced thinly and served with pâté for a pretty party appetizer.

Cooks' Note

If you can't find Reims N.39 spice mix, substitute 2 teaspoons each ground cinnamon and ground ginger.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour

  • Yield

    Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
½ cup (71g) whole almonds
½ cup (85g) store-bought or homemade candied orange peel
½ cup (64g) dried apricots
½ cup (92g) dried plums
2 cups (168g) honey
1¼ cups (283g) whole milk
2 tsp. kosher salt
Six 3-inch cinnamon sticks
3 star anise pods
3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Reims N.39 spice mix
2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs

Special equipment:

2 (9x5") loaf pans

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease loaf pans with melted butter.

    Step 2

    Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and fragrant, 6–8 minutes. Coarsely chop zest, apricots, plums, and toasted almonds. Transfer to a small bowl.

    Step 3

    Bring honey, milk, salt, cinnamon, and star anise to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, spice mix, and baking soda in a large bowl.

    Step 4

    Strain honey mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk until incorporated. Using a spatula, quickly fold in zest mixture.

    Step 5

    Divide dough between prepared pans, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake bread until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35–40 minutes.

    Step 6

    Let bread cool 10 minutes in pan, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack.

  2. Do Ahead

    Step 7

    Bread can be made 5 days ahead. Tightly wrap and store at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month.

TagsBreadFrenchEuropeanAlmondNutDried ApricotDried FruitFruitPruneCinnamonHerbs & SpicesAniseStarterBreakfastBrunchVegetarianMake AheadBakingEpicurious

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