French Spiced Bread Recipes

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
• Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
• With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

HONEY SPICE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small (8 x 4-inch or smaller) bread pan and dust lightly with flour. Line with parchment if desired. Alternatively, use buttered and floured mini-muffin molds or silicone mini muffin molds.
• Place the honey and sugar in a small saucepan, insert a thermometer and heat to 158 degrees while stirring with a rubber spatula.
• Sift together the whole wheat flour, rye flour, baking powder, spices and salt and transfer them to the bowl of your mixer.
• In a small bowl whisk together the milk and whole eggs. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the milk and egg mixture. Stop the mixer and, using a rubber spatula or a plastic bowl scraper, scrape up any flour sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Add the warm honey mixture and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape into the bread pan or spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons into each mini-mold, filling them 3/4 full.
• Bake mini-cakes for 15 to 20 minutes, loaves for 40 to 45 minutes, until deep brown and a tester comes out clean. Remove from the heat, unmold and cool on a rack. If making a loaf, for best results, once cool wrap tightly in plastic and allow the cake to rest for a day.

PAIN D'EPICES RECIPE - FRENCH SPICE BREAD

Steps:

• Start by preheating your oven to 150˚C (300˚F), then line a loaf pan with baking paper or grease with butter.
• Pop your rye flour into a large mixing bowl along with the ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder. Pour in the honey, give it a quick stir with a spoon, then blend using a handheld beater or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low speed.
• Gradually stir in the following ingredients, one at a time: milk, sugar, egg, softened butter and salt.
• Once the mixture is well combined, pour it out into a loaf pan. Don't forget to smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
• Bake for 45 mins or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean, then bask in the aromatic deliciousness of a slice of your freshly cooked pain d'epices!

FRENCH SPICED BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease loaf pans with melted butter.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Let bread cool 10 minutes in pan, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack.
• Do Ahead
• Bread can be made 5 days ahead. Tightly wrap and store at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month.

PAIN D'EPICE (FRENCH SPICE BREAD)

Steps:

• Warm and melt the honey by standing the jar in a pan of hot water, measure it into the rye flour in a bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. Leave, covered for 1 hour for the flour to absorb all the liquid.
• Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the glaze, and mix with vigour to ensure everything is spread evenly through the dough - this will be very sticky! Knead the dough on a clean work surface for between 5-10 minutes You can dip hands into a bowl of water at intervals to help with the kneading if necessary.
• Press the dough mixture intpo a well greased 2lb loaf tin. Make sure it's pushed right into the corners.
• Bake the loaf on the middle shelf for about 35 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. When you have removed it from the oven, brush with glaze and return to oven for a couple of minutes to set the glaze.
• Let the bread stand in the tin for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. This keeps very well and because it's made using rye it can be better for being left a couple of days before eating. (We never let it wait long though !).

QUICK HONEY-SPICE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl combine first 7 ingredients (and sugar if using) and mix well.
• In a small bowl whisk together milk, honey and egg.
• Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stir together.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan.
• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean in the center, about 50 minutes in my oven.
• Place pan on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn loaf out onto rack to cool completely.
• To make a glaze for the bread use 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons margarine and 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar. Microwave on HIGH until melted, then spoon over warm bread.

FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING WITH SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• The night before, make the French toast: smear the butter over the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish or other shallow 2-quart baking dish. Tear the bread into small pieces and scatter in the dish.
• In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk well. Pour over the bread evenly. Tamp down the bread with a spoon or spatula to submerge each piece in egg mixture. Cover with foil, gently pressing down so the foil is right on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
• The next morning, remove the dish and slide it into a cold oven with the foil on. Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. After 25 minutes, gently pull off and discard the foil. Continue to bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown, about 20 more minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the spiced pears: melt butter in a wide frying pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat then add the pears. Stir until pears are coated well with butter, then sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg; continue to cook about 3 minutes until pears begin to soften. Pour in 1/4 cup of maple syrup; cook until bubbly then remove from heat.
• To serve, spoon bread pudding onto plates and top with spiced pears. Pass additional maple syrup at the table.