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Long before mustard, Dijon was known for spice bread. Pain d’épices, a dense loaf of honey and flour scented with anise, cinnamon, ginger and clove, has been baked in Burgundy for centuries, and the Dijon house of Mulot & Petitjean has been making it since 1796.

It is not a cake in the American sense. Made with honey rather than sugar and often with rye flour, it is moist, chewy and deeply aromatic, and it improves for days after baking. The French eat it sliced and buttered with tea, or toasted with foie gras at Christmas.

Buy it in Dijon

Stop in Dijon on the way into Burgundy’s wine country. The old shops near the cathedral still sell pain d’épices in every shape, from plain loaves to nonnettes, small iced cakes filled with orange marmalade. Bring a loaf home and slice it for weeks.

Use the right honey

Honey is the main flavor, so use a dark, full-flavored one such as buckwheat or chestnut, or a good wildflower honey. Rye flour gives the traditional chew; if you cannot find it, all-purpose flour works, with a softer result.

Ingredients

Makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf.

• 1 cup (340 g) honey
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (50 g) dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsp (55 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (150 g) rye flour
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground anise or crushed anise seed
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 large eggs
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Warm the honey. Gently heat the honey, milk, sugar and butter until melted and smooth. Do not boil. Cool for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Heat the oven to 325°F and line a loaf pan with parchment. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, spices, orange zest and salt.
3. Make the batter. Whisk the eggs into the honey mixture, then pour it into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
4. Bake. Pour into the pan and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.
5. Rest. Cool completely, wrap tightly and leave for at least a day before slicing. The flavor deepens over a week.

How to serve it

In thin slices, spread with salted butter, with tea or coffee. For a festive starter, toast thin slices and top with foie gras or a soft blue cheese.

What to pour

Tea in the afternoon. With cheese or foie gras, a glass of Sauternes or a late-harvest Alsace Gewürztraminer.

Make a menu of it

Pain d’épices keeps well, so bake it alongside our apple strudel for a weekend of baking. For more of Burgundy, cook our boeuf bourguignon, and find every recipe At the Table.

Photo: David Monniaux, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0