{"id":8275,"date":"2026-10-19T15:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8275"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:49:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:49:25","slug":"pain-depices","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/pain-depices\/","title":{"rendered":"Pain d\u2019\u00e9pices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A flour dough containing honey is worked with spices and baked to a deep brown. France\u2019s pain d\u2019\u00e9pices is a cake whose name means \u201cspice bread.\u201d Loaves baked long and soft and then sliced differ from pieces cut from thin dough into hearts or animal shapes not only in form but also in how the dough is rested and how much it rises. The aromas of anise, cinnamon, ginger and clove come not only from decoration on the surface but from the whole dough.<\/p>\n

\n\"Long\n
Pain d\u2019\u00e9pices made at home by the photographer (January 4, 2006; location unknown). A long loaf has been sliced to show the air bubbles in the crumb. Photo: David Monniaux \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping have been made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Rye in Reims, wheat in Dijon<\/h2>\n

Honey is the sweetener that forms the dough. Some versions also use sugar or sugar syrups, and there is also pur miel, in which honey is the only sweetener. Fruit peel or nuts are sometimes added to wheat flour, rye flour or a mixture of the two.<\/p>\n

The specialty of Reims is associated with rye, while in Dijon a method based mainly on wheat, with egg yolks added, has been carried on. The old low-fat way of making it uses a different formula from butter-rich cakes, but some makers today use milk or butter. Even under the same name, the intensity of the honey, the amount of fat and the lightness of the dough vary.<\/p>\n

A mother dough rested for two weeks and reworked before baking<\/h2>\n

Mulot & Petitjean in Dijon rests a mother dough of wheat flour, honey and sugars for at least two weeks. Before baking, the dough is kneaded again until soft in a step called braquage, in which egg yolks, leavening agents and flavorings are added; it is then rolled out and cut, or put into molds. The shop\u2019s pain d\u2019\u00e9pices contains less than 3% fat. Unlike cakes made by whipping butter, it is baked after egg yolks, leavening agents and other ingredients have been added to the rested mother dough.<\/p>\n

Marc Dewalque, who writes on bread-making technique, explains the long resting of a honey-rich mother dough less as a way to gain strong fermentation than as a process that develops a tender texture. A dense dough that uses a large amount of honey instead of water does not ferment with yeast in the same way as ordinary bread eaten with meals. The method of adding egg yolks and leavening agents during braquage, rather than mixing them in at the start of storage, separates the stage of resting the mother dough from the preparation for baking.<\/p>\n

Shapes from cutters and molding machines, and icing decorations<\/h2>\n

In Gertwiller in Alsace, thin dough is cut with metal cutters into hearts and animals. Cakes baked large in a single piece are poured into wooden or paper molds, and for langue de chat, a long, thin shape like a cat\u2019s tongue, a molding machine fitted with an engraved cylinder is also used. Because the dough itself is shaped, the outline remains on the baked cake.<\/p>\n

A home recipe presented by the Lips workshop skips the long-stored mother dough. Honey, sugar, wheat flour, almonds, candied citrus peel and spices are combined, and leavening is added last. The dough is left in a cool place for at least 48 hours, kneaded again, adjusted with water to a clay-like consistency if it is stiff, then rolled out and cut.<\/p>\n

This dough uses no milk, butter or eggs, but the icing on the surface uses egg white, powdered sugar and kirsch. The dough and the topping are separate formulas. With pasted-on pictures or a name added, it becomes a cake tailored to the person receiving it.<\/p>\n

The rise of specialist craftsmen and gifts at winter fairs<\/h2>\n

In Reims in 1571, there is evidence of an exclusive trade of pain d\u2019\u00e9pices makers, distinct from bakers and general pastry makers. It was a specialized craft learned through apprenticeship, with skill demonstrated through a masterpiece, and its products were also presented to the court and to the town\u2019s distinguished guests.<\/p>\n

In Alsace, it was associated with St. Nicholas Day, Christmas and village fairs; people gave hearts to their sweethearts, and children collected the pictures on the front. Heart shapes and pasted-on pictures also served to express feelings for the recipient and to mark days of celebration. Dijon\u2019s nonnette is a small, round relative that encloses orange jam. Unlike pain d\u2019\u00e9pices baked large and sliced, each one is filled at the center with jam, adding the sweet-tart flavor of fruit.<\/p>\n

\n\"Individually\n
Burgundy-style pain d\u2019\u00e9pices from Bernard Loiseau\u2019s shop (November 12, 2013). Each one is wrapped individually in a clear bag. Photo: Arnaud 25 \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping have been made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

How ingredients and the railway changed Dijon\u2019s pain d\u2019\u00e9pices<\/h2>\n

In Dijon, traces of these craftsmen appear in the mid-18th century, and by the end of that century they had become independent of the bakers\u2019 and pastry makers\u2019 organizations. The opening of the railway in 1852 spurred industrial production, and by 1881 there were about 10 producers. It was in the second half of the 19th century that Dijon\u2019s reputation rose relative to that of Reims.<\/p>\n

After boichet, a confection of wheat and honey, and gardrie, a confection of millet flour that appears in the 16th century, pain d\u2019\u00e9pices made with wheat came to be produced in this region. In the 19th century, there was also a move to replace expensive honey with cheaper molasses. Leavening agents such as potassium carbonate also played a part in the shift from flat cut-out shapes to a soft, risen texture. Changes in ingredient prices, leavening methods and means of transport also influenced the shape and texture of pain d\u2019\u00e9pices.<\/p>\n

\n\"Small\n
The process of baking Dijon pain d\u2019\u00e9pices (1996). Small cakes are arranged in many rows and exposed to heat. Photo: Bertrand Thiry \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping have been made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The 20th century and the move to mass production<\/h2>\n

In the 20th century, one city\u2019s specialty also became a factory product shipped across the country. The Brochet brothers\u2019 factory in Besan\u00e7on employed about 100 people in 1939 and produced 5 to 6 tonnes a day. After it was damaged by bombing in 1943, it was rebuilt in 1944\u201346, and in 1960 it produced 6,500 tonnes of pain d\u2019\u00e9pices alone in a year.<\/p>\n

In 1959, Unimel, a sales company bringing together four producers, Brochet, Philb\u00e9e of Dijon, Vandamme and Van Linden, was established. Brochet joined G\u00e9n\u00e9rale Alimentaire in 1963, and a new factory was built in 1964\u201365. This was a change from an era in which separate workshops in each production region competed to one in which sales and production were concentrated in large companies. Today, Mulot & Petitjean and the workshops of Gertwiller carry on the method of resting the mother dough and the techniques of molds and decoration. Even as mass production spread, the techniques have also been handed down in small workshops.<\/p>\n

Pig shapes sold at a Paris fair and the legends behind them<\/h2>\n

At the Paris fair that is the forerunner of today\u2019s Foire du Tr\u00f4ne, stalls were permitted in 1841 on the circular part of the Place du Tr\u00f4ne, and the fair spread to the surrounding area. The Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet also holds a woodcut from the second half of the 19th century depicting this \u201cpain d\u2019\u00e9pices fair.\u201d It was a place where a regional confection was sold amid the city\u2019s entertainments.<\/p>\n

One legend holds that the pig shape refers to Saint Antoine, that is, Saint Anthony, who is depicted with a pig. Another links it to an accident in 1131, when Philip, son of King Louis VI of France, died after falling from a horse that had been startled by a pig. It is said that even after pigs were banned from roaming the city, only the pigs of the monks of Saint Antoine were allowed to pass, with bells around their necks, and that pig shapes were baked in gratitude. This story is a legend told as a sequel to the accident, and when pig-shaped pain d\u2019\u00e9pices first appeared is not clear. At the 1957 fair, stallholders dressed as monks handed out pig shapes, reenacting this story at the festival.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
A plate of pears seasoned with Banyuls vinegar, served with pain d\u2019\u00e9pices and ice cream (February 23, 2011; location unknown). An example, according to the photographer\u2019s description, of pairing the cake with another dessert. Photo: cyclonebill from Copenhagen, Denmark \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping have been made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Added to stews, and toasted to accompany fish dishes<\/h2>\n

Besides being eaten as a cake, pain d\u2019\u00e9pices is also used as an ingredient in stews. Julie Andrieu presents a method of braising rabbit with raisins, prunes, pain d\u2019\u00e9pices, thyme and beer. Staub\u2019s carbonade-style version also replaces the old bread in the sauce with pain d\u2019\u00e9pices. As it absorbs the cooking liquid and breaks down, it thickens the sauce, and the honey and spices blend into the meat and beer. This differs in both timing and role from a presentation in which toasted cubes are added at the end.<\/p>\n

Toasted pain d\u2019\u00e9pices can also be paired with fish dishes. In a dish by the Japanese chef Kotaro Meguro, it is sliced thin, toasted and served with isaki (threeline grunt) whose skin has been seared until crisp. A sauce made with tomato and vinegar is poured over it, incorporating a confection of honey and spices into a seafood dish. Unlike the method of dissolving it into a cooking liquid, here the re-toasted cake is plated while keeping its shape.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Kotaro Meguro<\/strong>: Chef of the restaurant \u201cabysse.\u201d He has presented a dish pairing pain d\u2019\u00e9pices with pan-seared isaki.<\/p>

Unimel<\/strong>: A company through which several pain d\u2019\u00e9pices producers pooled their sales.<\/p>

G\u00e9n\u00e9rale Alimentaire<\/strong>: A French group of food companies. The Brochet factory came under its umbrella in 1963.<\/p>

Boichet \/ gardrie<\/strong>: The former is an old confection of wheat and honey; the latter is the name of a Dijon confection made with millet flour.<\/p>

Molasses<\/strong>: A thick sugar syrup obtained during sugar production and similar processes. Its raw materials differ from those of honey.<\/p>

Potassium carbonate<\/strong>: An alkaline salt that reacts with acidic doughs and other ingredients to produce gas, and that was used for leavening.<\/p>

Pur miel<\/strong>: French for \u201cpure honey.\u201d For pain d\u2019\u00e9pices, it refers to versions that use only honey as the sweetener.<\/p>

Mother dough<\/strong>: A base dough that is prepared and rested before the finishing ingredients are added.<\/p>

Braquage<\/strong>: The step of reworking the mother dough and adding leavening agents, egg yolks, flavorings and other ingredients to finish it into a dough for baking.<\/p>

Mulot & Petitjean<\/strong>: A pain d\u2019\u00e9pices maker in Dijon that carries on the traditional method of resting the mother dough and finishing it through braquage.<\/p>

Langue de chat<\/strong>: French for \u201ccat\u2019s tongue.\u201d The name is also used for confections with a long, thin outline.<\/p>

Kirsch<\/strong>: A spirit distilled from cherries. It is also used to flavor icing.<\/p>

St. Nicholas Day<\/strong>: A feast day on December 6. In parts of Europe, there is a custom of giving children sweets and other gifts.<\/p>

Nonnette<\/strong>: A small, round confection made with honey and spices. Versions that enclose jam are typical.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    House Foods GABAN Magazine, \u201cPain d\u2019\u00e9pices and Pan-Seared Isaki,\u201d Kotaro Meguro<\/a>: Lines 46\u201349, 88\u2013110 and 134\u2013155 of the source material. A contemporary example by a Japanese chef; not presented as a traditional French fish dish.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Mulot & Petitjean: Fabrication et savoir-faire<\/a> \u2014 Mother dough of wheat flour, honey and sugars; a minimum of two weeks; braquage with egg yolks, leavening agents and flavorings; shaping; less than 3% fat.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    La fabrication du pain d’\u00e9pices – Pains d’\u00e9pices Lips<\/a> \u2014 Cutters, poured molds and cylinders; the 48-hour home version and adjustment with water; a dough without milk, butter or eggs, and egg-white icing; village fairs, hearts for sweethearts and collecting pictures.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Sophie Gondolle, \u201cLe pain d\u2019\u00e9pice, une histoire multiculturelle,\u201d RILEA 1 (2022)<\/a> \u2014 Comparison of historical sources; rye in Reims and wheat in Dijon; 19th-century industrialization; winter and St. Nicholas; molds and decoration; and developments such as the nonnette.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Pol Gosset, Le pain d’\u00e9pice de Reims in Bulletin du Comit\u00e9 du Folklore Champenois, 2e ann\u00e9e, n\u00b0 6, novembre 1931 – Pers\u00e9e<\/a> \u2014 The craft monopoly in Reims in 1571; apprenticeship and the masterpiece; a group distinct from bakers and pastry makers.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    Charte Professionnelle des Fabricants de Biscuits et G\u00e2teaux de France – AVRIL 2018<\/a> \u2014 In an industry document: the combined use of sugars and pur miel; Dijon\u2019s mainly wheat-based dough; the mother dough and braquage.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Pain d’\u00e9pices Bio pur miel – 170g<\/a> \u2014 Current ingredients with honey as the only sweetener; the combined use of egg yolks and rye\/wheat; and the form of the nonnette with orange jam.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  8. \n

    Pain d\u2019Epices \u2013 250gr – La Biscuiterie de Reims<\/a> \u2014 That some contemporary types use milk, butter and eggs.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  9. \u2022 City of Paris, \u201cLa Foire du Tr\u00f4ne\u2026\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The stalls of 1841 and the expansion of the fair; two explanations of the pig shape.<\/p><\/li>

  10. \u2022 Paris Mus\u00e9es \/ Carnavalet, \u201cLa foire au pain d\u2019\u00e9pices\u2026\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The woodcut from the second half of the 19th century and its title.<\/p><\/li>

  11. \u2022 Julie Andrieu, \u201cLapin \u00e0 la bi\u00e8re et au pain d\u2019\u00e9pices\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Use of pain d\u2019\u00e9pices added to the pot together with meat, fruit and beer.<\/p><\/li>

  12. \u2022 Staub, \u201cLapin \u00e0 la bi\u00e8re carbonnade fa\u00e7on flamande\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The method of replacing the bread in the sauce with pain d\u2019\u00e9pices.<\/p><\/li>

  13. Marc Dewalque, \u201cLes choix de maturation de la p\u00e2te et du p\u00e2ton,\u201d XIX.3.4<\/a> \u2014 A bread-making technician\u2019s discussion of resting a honey mother dough and its texture, and of fermentation in honey-rich doughs.<\/li>
  14. R\u00e9gion Bourgogne-Franche-Comt\u00e9: Biscuiterie Brochet\u2026Unimel (IA25001881)<\/a> \u2014 Factory history based on departmental archives and other sources; war damage and reconstruction; production volumes; the joint sales company of 1959 and consolidation in the 1960s.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Pain d\u2019\u00e9pices is a French cake made by layering the aroma of spices into a honey-rich dough and baking it. Its name means \u201cspice bread.\u201d Yet if you picture something like the bread eaten with everyday meals, you will miss its deep sweetness and fine texture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6680,"menu_order":30,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Pain d\u2019\u00e9pices","subtitle":"Honey and spices, baked to local formulas","topics":"Honey \/ Dijon \/ Dough maturation","country":"France","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["spice","honey"],"texture":["moist"],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[151],"class_list":["post-8275","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"manual","sweetlore_related_articles":[8299,8248,8249,8250,8251,8254,8255,8257]},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t