Rye flour, a good amount of honey and a unique spice blend are the key components of a great Classic French Spiced Bread – also known as Pain d’Épices. This cross between a cake and a bread is a holiday staple in France. It can be found on most Christmas market stalls, sold in big slabs. It is also a favorite to make amongst home bakers as it is a really simple recipe that makes the house smell wonderful. This is a perfect crowd pleaser for the Holidays.
So what is a French “Pain d’Épices”?
Despite appearances, a Classic French Spiced Bread (Pain d’Épices) shouldn’t be mistranslated as a “gingerbread”. Less sweet than its American cousin, a Pain d’épices doesn’t include egg nor butter – it is indeed a “pain” (bread). It is also made with rye flour for more earthiness, and honey – while gingerbreads often include molasses – making for a lighter sweetness that lets the spices shine a bit more. The spice blend of a Pain d’Épices is also more complex, including cinnamon and ginger, but also nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, anise seeds and star anise.
How to enjoy a “Pain d’Épices”?
Being a cross between a bread and a cake, a Pain d’Épices makes for an equally delicious sweet or savory treat.
- As a starter or on a cheese board – Over the Holidays, Pain d’Épice is often served as a starter, cut in thin slices with foie gras or just before dessert with soft cow’s-milk cheeses like Brie or Camembert.
- For Breakfast – Because it isn’t too sweet, a Pain d’Épices is a great breakfast staple and the perfect canvas for butter, jams and marmalades. I personally love it with a little slab of butter and a drizzle of honey.
- As a snack – It is also a wonderful pick-me-up in the afternoon as it is satisfying and full of flavor – and again, not too sweet.
Cooking notes:
- Using freshly ground spices, instead of pre-ground /store-bought, will make all the difference here. Freshly ground spices are so much more fragrant and keep their flavor better even after baked. For this recipe, we will need freshly ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper – so using a spice grinder is highly recommended.
- Traditionally, a Classic French Spiced Bread calls for dark rye flour. But from my experience, light rye flour works well too. The difference is almost unnoticeable in taste.
Just like many staples French recipes, there are countless variations of a Pain d’Épices. Some prefer it lighter and drier (closer to a bread), some prefer it moist and more intense in flavor (closer to a cake). This recipe, in my opinion, strikes a happy medium. This Pain d’Épices is soft, moist and perfectly spiced; yet it isn’t too sweet.
Recommended Equipments:
You may also like:
- Spiced Cookies with Candied Citrus Peels and Almonds (Leckerli)
- Raspberry Jam Swiss Roll
- Almond Chocolate Twice-Baked Cookies from Provence (Croquants)
- Raspberry Jam-Filled Sablé Sandwiches (Lunettes de Romans)
- Classic Chocolate Bûche de Noël
I hope you’ll love this Classic French Spiced Bread (Pain d’Épices) recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench. This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details
51 comments
Great baking project to make on a snowy Sunday! The scent was divine and I couldn’t wait to have a slice. Delicious flavor with a hint of citrus from the orange.
Amazing, thanks so much for your feedback!
Just made it today. Perfect. Ate it with the last of the blue cheese. Can’t wait to eat it tomorrow for breakfast. Thank you
Amazing, thank you Rachel. I just had some for breakfast as well 🙂
This was delicious! Let it sit for a day for spices to develop. Made the house smell like Christmas!
Amazing, thank you for your feedback Janet.
I am about to make the bread but we don’t have any star anise or anise seed where I live. Can I substitute pernod and take out the equal amount of milk? I read somewhere 1 Tablespoon should give the same flavour.
Hi Martha! I never tried adding Pernod but I think this is a great idea to recreate the flavor of anise seed. I would add 1 tbsp, and take out 1 tbsp of honey (so you’ll only use 2/3 cup of honey). Happy baking!
Audrey I did exactly that and the result was fantastic. We even had some for breakfast this morning. Thank you.
Amazing, thank you Martha!
[…] discovered the recipe for the spiced bread here, and was able to round up the ingredients, though, surprisingly, the toughest to locate was the […]
Hi
Made this yesterday. Seems undercooked even though we did it at 150 fan. It came clean off the knife but collapsed when it came out of the oven and is very gooey in the middle. Tastes good though!
Thanks for your feedback Jeremy! Yes it does sound like your bread needed to bake a few more minutes (every oven is different!). The outside of a Pain d’Epices can turn quite dark when baking, so you may think it is over-baking, but it isn’t. I hope this helps!
Made this bread a couple of weeks ago and loved it. The combination of spices is just perfect, not too sweet. Just right with a cup of tea. I will definitely be making this loaf again. I found this recipe in the Epoch Times and since then have made two of your other recipes, the galette and the beef bourguignon, which also turned out really well! Thank you for the inspiration!
Amazing, thanks so much Noreen!
Hi, I don’t have dark rye flour. Could I just use white flour ?
Hi Regina, yes you can – although keep in mind the flavor will be less “earthy”. Happy baking!
[…] bread is a holiday staple in France. I see it all over my Instagram during the holiday season. Well, […]
I’m confused as to how much honey is required? 250ml is 1 cup. Your recipe calls for “ 2/3 cup + 1 tbsp (250ml) honey”. Please clarify. Thanks!
Debbie, thank you so much for reaching out and catching that oversight. The measurement of honey should have been in grams, and should be 250gr of honey, not 250ml. 1 cup of honey is 340gr and 2/3cup + 1tbsp is approximately 250gr. Thanks again.
I’m a small-scale artisan baker and am very impressed with this recipe which works perfectly. I wanted it dairy free so swapped milk with rice milk. I often use almond milk in bun recipes so reckon it would work here too.
Also used a non-dairy spread to grease the tin, but that’s a small detail.
I was really pleased to find a recipe with no egg when so many ‘big-name” chefs use egg and/or butter in the batter!
Thank you so much, Simon. It’s great to know, especially for other readers, that dairy free options work well with this recipe (as I had never tried them myself). Glad you enjoyed it!
I love the look of your French bread. on my list to bake. Thanks Audrey
Thank you, Pauline. I hope you get a chance to try it… It’s so delicious and made for winter and the holidays.
Fantastic pain d’épices. I grew up on the pains d’épices from Mullot et Petitjean in Dijon and, while I enjoyed the taste, they always felt dry to me. This recipe is a revelation: it is very easy to make and creates a delicious, aromatic and moist “pain”. (Try it with a light smear of salted butter…heaven). Merci beaucoup pour cette recette!
Catherine, I know exactly what you mean by “dry” pain d’epices… I think this might be a commercial process to give them a longer shelf life. Or perhaps just how they make them in certain areas. In Alsace, they were “dry”, but here it Bretagne they’re usually “moist”. I much prefer it this way, but I’ll take both happily. So glad you enjoyed it!
can Insubstitute for rye flour?
Hello Mary. Apologies if I am misunderstanding the question. Are you asking if you can substitute something in place of the 1 1/4 cup rye flour? I have personally never done so, and to be honest, rye flour is vital for both the taste as well as the texture of the recipe.
thank you for the recipe, i hsve my mothers recipe for this bread . written in french in her hand writing. i understood some of it but not all. now it is clarified! She was born in Langres.
Linda, I am so glad you found this recipe and it helped you to clarify an old family recipe. What an amazing treasure to have in your possession! I hope you enjoy it to the fullest!
I want to make this for the holidays, what if don’t use fresh cinnamon, cloves or anise seeds? How much do I use of dry spices?
Hello, Carol. All the measurement will stay the exact same whether you grind them freshly or use pre-ground spices. Freshly ground spices are a touch warmer and vibrant, but using preground spices is 100% perfect for the spiced bread. Happy baking!
This is really lovely! I can definitely see it served with cheee.
It absolutely can be, Mimi! It’s not for everyone, but I happen to enjoy it quite a bit.
Perfection. I followed the recipe to the letter and can happily say that it came out exactly as expected. I’ve baked this twice now and I’m sure I’ll be making more to gift. Thanks and happy holidays!
Beautiful, Fer, so glad you enjoy the spiced bread. Few things warm up the home (and the heart) like a slice of this in the winter. Happiest of holidays to you as well!
I made this recipe but it turned out really chewy. Any idea what I might have messed up? I don’t think I could have stirred the liquid in too much less than I did.
Hello Terrance. So, this spice bread does have a slightly chewy texture to it. It’s a touch hard to describe actually… In the article I said a cross between a bread and a cake, which is hoenstly the best way I can think of. It does have chew, but shouldn’t at all be gummy.
Was your gummy or just chewy? Remember, people put/smear slices of foie gras and cheese on it, so it is a little “stiff” – but again, it’s a pleasing chewiness, it shouldn’t be an offputting kind.
Hi Audrey, never got a chance to make this after my first comment in December of 2023 as I had a ruptured appendix right before Christmas. This Christmas too much other baking and never made it. Today it’s a snowy day in Pennsylvania and thought it was about time. I just put a loaf in the oven, I will say that my batter was vey thick to the point that I had to scoop into the loaf pan….any thoughts? Here’s hoping to a tast loaf either way!
Oh, Carol… I wish a speedy and complete recovery to you! All the best!
In regards to the batter, it is a thick one. Hard to know how thick yours was without actually seeing it, but it doesn’t just pour fluidly out of the bowk (remember, it is a “bread”). But it also shouldn’t be at all like a bread dough… Just for knowledge and to help troubleshoot, did you weigh the flour/ingrediets or just use cups?
Also, how did it turn out? That’s another indicator if perhaps something was missed or mis-measured. We’ll sort it out!
wondering if i can replace the all-purpose flour with Whole Wheat flour? i use Jovial brand Einkorn flour mainly.
I am loving my adventures in cooking your cookbook and blog. found you through Epoch Times. it is rare that i do not tweak a recipe after the first try. yours are exceptional. good at first go. my husband is loving test tasting the results. the saeurkraut stew is phenomenal!!! looking forward to your next cookbooks.
Very much appreciated! I strive to make my recipes as traditional as possible, while leaving open the possibilities for substitutions where possible. In this case, I would think a switch to whole wheat flour would work, but would err on the side of caution with the cooking time.
It sounds like you’re experienced with this whole wheat flour, do you find it typically switches 1 for 1 with all purpose, or do you need to add more/less flour? Do you find a difference in the cooking time? The recipe uses a good amount of honey, and it’d be a shame if it was put to waste – so just use your best judgement knowing how this flour works, and keep a close eye on cooking time! Good luck and enjoy!
Bonjour Audrey- J’adore cette recette! I am a French Second Language teacher in Boise, Idaho. I offer small muffin servings of it to my Elementary Grade 3,4 and 5 students during our French Noel Culture party. As you wrote, it is not too sweet, nor is it a typical (U.S.) Gingerbread flavor or texture. I will be baking up enough for 225 students this week-end.
Can I substitute le sarrasin (buckwheat) for the rye with gluten-free flour? I have several students that were unable to taste it last year due to food allergies. I also plan to use rice milk for the liquid.
Merci!
Norma, thank you so very much. I absolutely love that you share this beautiful and traditional pain d’epices with your students. I truly hope they enjoy it.
So, onto the question – I wish I had a solid answer based off first hand experience, but I don’t. That said, the sheer amount of rye flour (which is glutenous) gives me hesitation. And I also appreciate that due to the amount of honey (which isn’t cheap) experimenting with this recipe isn’t ideal either. My honest opinion is this… I would either use 2 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour (meaning, only GF flour) or 1 3/4 cup GF flour and 1/2 cup sarrasin.
Again, I can’t vouch for the final product. It will obviously change the texture of the cake, and perhaps even the baking time will need some asjustment, but these would be the options I’d use if experimenting.
I hope it goes very well if you do try, and I would love to know the results. Merry Christmas to you and all your students!
Audrey- I made the standard and gluten free recipes this week-end. Chose to use the 1 3/4 cup GF Flour and 1/2 cup of buckwheat. Oat milk instead of rice milk (no one has Celiac). I added two tablespoons of applesauce to help with how these flours can leave the bread dry after baking. Was careful not to over back. My husband was very happy and said the texture of the GF version was a bit more chewy than the standard recipe.
I think it’s a palatable taste and texture. The only visible difference with exchanging the rye flour out is that the finished bread is much more pale.
Great to know, Norma, thank you so much for sharing. Rye flour definitely lends a healthy amount of color, so that’s to expected. As for gluten free breads, my typical experience is a chewier result – which only rarely isn’t enjoyable.
So glad you took the challenge on, and seemingly got a favorable result from it. I truly hope everyone will enjoy!
If i may offer some advice- as a professional baker. I make this bread frequently and veganized it with soja milk and agave syrup. Rice milk rarely achieves a good outcome in cakes and pâtisserie. It contains so little protein which does not support the gluten structure at all. I actually tried using rice milk once but all the cakes ended up sunken. Oat or ideally soya milks work best if you are looking for dairy free. I do use sarrasin flour in bread but find that it requires a structural support like psyllium but now we are veering off the recipe altogether! Maybe just test it with sarrasin.
Great tips and advice, Simon. Thank you!
Simon, thank you for the feedback. I will be trying a test batch this week-end.
Bonjour Audrey, I made this beautiful Pain d’épices yesterday and it is absolutely perfect. I added some grated fresh ginger because in my view one can never have enough ginger! It was a very runny batter (pourable) which I noticed afterwards in the comments it should not be, and I did measure everything by weight, but I guess flours differ etc, and I just cooked for longer (about an extra 10 mins). Going to be great for my family Christmas!
I’m thrilled it worked out for you, Jane! Impossible to know what is/was different, especially when weighing the ingredients, but it worked perfectly and that’s what matters. Please enjoy a sice for me, and have yourself an amazing Holiday season. Cheers 🙂