Blue Cheese with pain d'epices and honey

Name: Blue Cheese with pain d'epices and honey
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 450 g plain flour; 70 g rye flour; 1 tbsp baking powder; 1½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1½ tsp ground, dried ginger; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp grated nutmeg; ¼ tsp ground black pepper; ½ tsp ground coriander seeds; 60 g butter, soft; 2 small eggs; 250 ml water; 350 g honey; 1 tbsp finely grated lemon or orange peel, unsprayed

Cook 1 hrs 30 mins 6 servings

A match made in heaven – our recipe for blue cheese with pain d'epices and honey sees spiced sweet bread sharing the limelight with generous coatings of intense blue cheese. Together, they offer a profile of distinct contrasts and aromatic character. Adding depth to their strong palates, a dash of honey ensures a smooth finish.

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ingredients

450 g plain flour
70 g rye flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground, dried ginger
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
60 g butter, soft
2 small eggs
250 ml water
350 g honey
1 tbsp finely grated lemon or orange peel, unsprayed

preparation

Preparation

At first glance, you might think pain d'épices is a cake judging by the list of ingredients. But it is in fact a spicy bread from Alsace. Originally it was made with a wild fermentation, but for the sake of convenience this recipe uses baking powder.

In France, it is served with a very fat duck's liver. But here, it makes a perfect partner for Castello Creamy Blue.

Compared with other blue mould cheeses, Creamy Blue has a relatively mild flavour which goes very well with honey and spices, such as those used in pain d'épices. It has its own distinctive flavour, yet also complements the bread. Perhaps serve with a little extra drizzle of honey on top – and possibly a thin layer of butter.

If you serve the bread warm, it will taste even better.

1. Beat the soft butter together with the honey. Whisk until it is airy. Whisk in the eggs, one by one, and then add the water and lemon zest.

2. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients: the flour (rye and wheat), baking powder and spices.

3. Sieve the mixture into the wet ingredients and stir well.

4. Tip the mixture into a greased bread tin. Bake for about one hour at 180°C in a pre-heated oven.

5. Make sure to test whether it is properly baked, as the baking time may vary slightly depending on the height of the bread. To test whether it is baked, stick a knife or wood pin into the bread. It must be clean when it is pulled up.

6. Allow the bread to cool before it is cut into slices and eaten.

If the bread feels a little dry after a couple of days, it will benefit from being lightly toasted.