← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 250 g runny honey
• 150 ml Milk
• 50 g soft brown sugar
• 50 g Butter, plus extra for the tin
• 125 g plain flour
• 125 g Rye flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground star anise or anise seed
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 orange, zest finely grated
• 2 Eggs

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, 325°F). Butter a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin and line it with baking paper.
2. Warm the honey, milk, brown sugar and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until the butter melts. Cool for 10 min.
3. Whisk both flours, the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, all the spices, salt and orange zest in a large bowl.
4. Beat the eggs into the honey mixture, then pour it into the dry ingredients and whisk just until smooth and lump-free.
5. Pour into the tin and bake for 45–55 min, until well risen, dark golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too quickly.
6. Cool in the tin for 10 min, then on a rack. Wrap it tightly once cold; the flavour and texture improve after a day.

Tips

• Slice thinly and spread with salted butter, or serve with foie gras or cheese as the French do.
• Contains gluten from both wheat and rye flour.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great British Chefs David Lebovitz