Dessert: French Spiced Bread

Recipe by Kamel Saci 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 t

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Honey

Health and fertility benefits of French Spiced Bread

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup store-bought or homemade candied orange peel
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried plums
2 cups honey
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 (3") cinnamon sticks
3 star anise pods
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Reims N.39 spice mix
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs

Instructions

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.

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