French Classic Pain d'Épices

Holiday favorite Pain d'Épices is often translated as "Gingerbread," even though ginger only appears in a few of the many regional recipes .Pain d’épices has been known in France since the time of the first Crusade in the eleventh century. The recipe varies from region to region, but the basics are:
•Flour
•Honey
•Eggs
•Spices
The flour can be wheat or rye or a mixture. The spices might include star anise, cinnamon, cloves, lemon and vanilla. Nuts and citrus peels are common additions.
Early versions used no leavening, but rather the mixture was left in a wooden trough to rest in a cool place for months while the honey fed a fermentation process. Then the mixture was baked in molds.
The popularity of pain d’épices took a dive under Henri II, when a rumor circulated that the Italians (who exported large quantities to France) were spiking them with poison.Dijon is famous for its pain d’épices where at least two traditions claim derivation. One is that Dijon, on the spice route, got this recipe from China. The other claims that Dijon’s passion for pain d’épices dates back 500 years to when Duke Philippe le Bon’s (Phillip “the Good”) rule extended north into present day Belgium. He tasted a slice of gingerbread there and ordered his cooks to recreate it at home.Riems, where they favor the rye flour version, is another epicenter for aficionados of pain d’épices. In 1571, Riems bakers of pain d'epices even won the right to their own guild, separate from the other pastry cooks and bakers. Paris granted a similar accord in 1596.Alsace is also known for its pain d’épices, where it is baked in cookie shapes and decorated with glace royale. The town of Gertwiller even has a museum dedicated to pain d’épices.In addition to regional differences, many families closely guard their own secret recipe. The recipe presented here is adapted from Julia Child’s version in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2. Dried fruits substitute for the glacéed fruits in Julia’s recipe.
Because the flavors intensify if you let the cake age for at least a day, this is a great recipe for making ahead.
Pain d'Épices Recipe
You will need: a 9-inch springform pan or an 8-cup loaf pan
Ingredients:
•1¼ cups honey
•1 cup light brown sugar
•¾ cup boiling water
•1 Tbsp baking soda
•½ tsp fine sea salt
•3½ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)
•¾ cup almonds, ground fine
•1 tsp almond extract
•¼ cup dark rum
•½ tsp each: ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg
•¼ tsp ground white pepper
•2 tsp grated fresh orange or lemon peel
•½ cup each: dried apricots, chopped and golden raisins
Method:
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.Generously butter bottom and sides of the springform or loaf pan. Set aside.
3.In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the honey, sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Then beat in the baking soda and salt. Add half the flour and beat about a minute.
4.Gradually add the remaining flour and continue to beat 2 minutes more on medium speed. The batter should be stiff and sticky.
5.Reduce the speed on the mixer to slow and add the remaining ingredients. Mix until everything is well incorporated. Scrape the batter into the pan; smooth the top with a damp or spatula.
6.Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour. The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted in center emerges clean.
7.Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. If using a springform, release the pan sides; otherwise unmold the cake and place on a rack, top-side up. Cool for about 2 hours or until completely cool, then wrap well in plastic.
Here comes the hard part. By this point the baking aromas will have driven the household crazy. If they can be held at bay, Julia recommends waiting at least a day or more before serving. For the best flavor and texture, age the cake for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.