Rosca De Reyes King Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in five tablespoons lukewarm milk and let sit five minutes.
• Add the flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter, the remaining milk, salt, cinnamon, aniseed, raisins and vanilla.
• Combine and knead dough until no longer sticky.
• Grease dough with some butter, cover and let rise until the dough doubles in size.
• Grease a baking sheet.
• Punch down dough and knead lightly.
• Form dough into a ring or"rosca" about 12 inches in diameter.
• Place the dough ring on baking sheet.
• Decorate the top of the ring with the candied fruit.
• Let the dough rise again until doubled.
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Bake 40 minutes or until done.
• Insert the baby figurine or bean from the underside.

Steps:

• Combine yeast and water in a small bowl, stirring until dissolved, and set aside until yeast is proofed.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the milk, sugar, and butter, stirring until dissolved.
• Add the salt, eggs, and yeast mixture and blend thoroughly.
• Beat in 3 cups of flour to make a smooth batter Add additional flour to make a soft dough (dough will be very sticky).
• Turn out onto a floured board and knead approximately 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed.
• Dough may be made with a standing mixer and dough hook.
• Round into a ball and place in a warm buttered bowl, turning to lightly coat top with some of the butter.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
• Punch down the dough and divide in half.
• To prepare rings, divide dough in half and flatten into a long oval.
• Spread 1/2 can of Solo almond filling on each oval, place one bean into each oval, and roll each piece into a rope.
• Join ends together leaving large oval hole in the middle.
• Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour.
• While the bread is rising, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake rings for 30 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden brown and sound hollow when thumped.
• Remove and let loaves cool on wire racks.
• Icing: Mix all the icing ingredients together until fluffy and well blended.
• To serve, frost cooled loaves with icing.
• Decorate with different colored sugars or candied fruit.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the yeast and warm water; stir to blend. Let stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Put all of the candied fruit in small bowl and drizzle the rum on top. Let stand for 15 minutes to 1 hour to infuse the flavor.
• In a small pot, warm the milk over medium heat. Add the sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a large bowl, mix 3 1/2 cups flour, 2 eggs, yeast mixture, milk mixture, and the rum soaked candied fruits, mixing very well until the dough gathers into a ball. If the dough is too wet, Add additional flour, a little at a time, if needed to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Put the ball of dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface. Using your palms, roll the dough into a long rope. Shape the coil into a ring, sealing the ends together. Insert a little doll or coin into the bread from the bottom, if desired. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully transfer the dough ring to the prepared baking pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash, and brush the top of the bread. Decoratively garnish the top of the bread with more candied fruit and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden.
• Cool on a wire rack before slicing.