Alsatian Gingerbread

I have made this with and without the lemon peel. I think it's better without. But that might be just a preference.

Delicious and authentic! Ground up anise in a mortar and pestle and baked this is a smaller loaf pan with chopped candied ginger on the bottom.

Made this with some small alterations: spelt flour subbed for wheat, increased in spice mix, recipe doubled. I found even with the doubled recipe the bake time was a bit long and it needed to come out sooner and even with my increase in spices it could have used another tsp. Otherwise it had a very hearty taste; it would be interesting with sourdough instead of the baking powder. I had relatively small diced bits of candied lemon & orange and found them too be too chewy in the final product and would have preferred them minced.

It isn't really a "small loaf" but more like a flat, very dense cake. It's nice and spicy and has great flavour and comes together quickly. I can't help wondering what would happen if I double the ingredients and bake it in a normal loaf pan. Would it end up a little lighter or would I just have a larger block of gingerbread.

Made this last night and was happy about how fast it was to pull together! I couldn't find anise anywhere (where did it all go??) so I omitted it. Nor did I have any candied peel, so I took a tip from Starmade and grated some zest into the honey, which was wonderful. I also split the batter into two tiny loaf pans to give one as a gift. I plan to make another for my family tonight, hopefully with the anise and some sort of dried fruit if not the candied peel. I'm sure my dad (of Alsatian heritage) will love it. Thanks so much for this recipe. It will definitely become a tradition.

This is a pain d'epices, no? I haven't tried this one yet, since I've been making this one on David Lebovitz's site for years. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/04/pain-depices/

I made this yesterday and wanted to add a comment before I got over my enthusiasm; I didn't have candied peel but I saw how the orange flavour would help so I grated zest from an orange into the honey, where it sort of candied itself before I took it off the burner. I wanted a fruit in the bread so I chopped in a few dates and I also added cardamom since I didn't have anise. It was superb and had that *old* flavor some have mentioned. Never I have I seen rye flour put to a better use. I went looking for the tradition behind the recipe, and found an intriguingly pure version that using all rye flour and no egg http://wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes/snacks-desserts/pain-depices-french-honey-rye-cake. In the search I also turned up another version on this site by thirschfeld which chops prunes into it, and adds butter (which also looks good but it did not seem to me to need any fat): https://food52.com/recipes/14406-rustic-french-honey-cake
Anyway I think this version shall become my main reference.

I have whole wheat pastry flour; would it be better to use that?

And Harriet. I think maple syrup would be lovely.

I have whole wheat pastry flour; would it be better to use that?
And Harriet, I think maple syrup would be lovely.

Looks delicious, however I'm allergic to honey - do you think that maple syrup (or any other suggestions!) would work as a substitute? Thanks.

Great loaf cake that is not too sweet, and has a nice tang of ginger and spices. I was out of brown sugar, so used superfine sugar but substituted 1 tbsp of the honey for 1 tbsp of molasses. Also used dried apricots instead of peel, and added 1 tbsp of chopped crystallized ginger and an extra teaspoon of ground ginger. Would recommend piercing the top of the cake when drizzling over the glaze to allow more to soak in.

this past sunday was cold and snowy - the perfect time to make this cake. it tastes of the past with warm spices and a hearty crumb, and the orange peel brightens it and makes it somehow lighter. what a gift this recipe is. thanks so much for sharing it.

I don't have access to candied orange or lemon peel - can I substitute dried apricots or other dried fruit? Also, for a strong ginger lover - what about adding a little candied ginger -that I do have? Looks great, thanks for the great website.

Could this recipe work with plain gluten-free flour?

I was wondering if molasses could be used instead of the honey and brown sugar?

Can you add the recipe for the sugar glaze? This looks delicious!

This bread sounds so beautiful, and I, too, muse over memories, Sicilian recipes, and tripping in the woods. Off to make this today - thank you!

For someone who cannot consume dairy, what could be an alternative to the milk? Or could I use almond milk for instance?

Wow! this sounds terrific and not too unhealthy! Will make this over the weekend.

This looks fantastic! Do you think it work if I made it a day or two in advance?