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Mili Takashima

King Cake: orange-cranberry sweet bread

This traditional sweet bread comes together with an orange-cranberry glaze, using a Bundt pan method for forming and final-rising. King Cake is also named Three Kings Cake, or Rosca de Reyes, is made to be enjoyed anytime, but typically for The Feast of the Epiphany or the Tuesday before Lent begins.
This calls for a total of four hours of rising-sessions plus baking, and you will yield two total King Cakes.
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Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients
  

in a large bowl
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon iodized salt
set aside to add after first rise
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
all the rest of the ingredients
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup whole milk or half and half
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature run them under warm water
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 orange zest
Cranberry Orange Glaze to be folded into the dough after second rise
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice - from the large orange that has already been zested
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
glaze or frosting to top cooled King Cake: use royal icing or melted buttercream frosting

Method
 

  1. Start by scalding the milk in a saucepan, and heat until you see small bubbles forming on the edge. Remove from heat.
  2. Prepare to activate the dry yeast. In a cup, warm 1/4 cup of water in the microwave for 10 seconds, and/or until the water reaches between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the contents of the packet. Stir and cover with a cloth to activate. Set a timer for 10 minutes, both the yeast and the milk will be ready, so that you can begin preparing the dough.
  3. Next, prepare the ingredients for the dough. In a standing mixer, with a paddle attachment, or with a hand-mixer, beat the softened butter until it covers the bottom of a bowl. Add the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and then the eggs, one at a time. Beat it for about 20 seconds. The end result will look like fluffy scrambled eggs.
  4. Now you're ready to put the pieces of the initial dough together. In the large bowl add two cups of flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add the mixture of activated yeast, then the warm milk. Mix together. Once incorporated, add the butter-sugar-egg mixture and completely combine.
  5. over the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a cold oven for an hour.
  6. When the hour is over, uncover the risen dough, add the 2 cups of flour that you set aside, and combine. Then add the zest of one large orange. Once the orange zest is incorporated, cover the bowl with a cloth. Return it to your cold oven and allow it to rise for an additional hour. While your dough is enjoying it's second-rise, prepare the cranberry glaze that will be folded in before it's baked.
How to make the Cranberry Glaze to be folded into the dough
  1. Squeeze out all of the juice from the large orange you used to flavor the dough. It should give you about 1/2 cup. If you don't have 1/2 cup of juice, make up the difference with either more orange juice or water.
  2. In a saucepan, over medium heat, stir juice, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Once smooth, with the sugars dissolved, add the 1/2 cup dried cranberries and pure vanilla extract. Stir and remove from heat.The glaze will be cooled and ready to use, once your dough is ready.
  3. This recipe will make two King Cakes. (One to share and one to keep. Or two to share. xox) When the dough is ready, divide it in two.
  4. For baking in the Bundt pan method: Spray and flour the pan so that it is prepared for the dough.
  5. Place 1/2 of the dough on a clean, flat surface, dusted with flour. Assemble the piece of dough together and lay flat. Spoon the cranberry glaze over the dough. Then, fold it over. Gently twist and lengthen the dough so that you can form a circle.
  6. Please note that the dough should be handled as little as possible and there is no need to kneed. Believe it or not, it's going to rise for a third and final time! Cover and return it to your cold oven for one last hour.
  7. Here's a peek at  the process when using a Bundt pan:
  8. When the dough done rising, you can finally turn your oven on! Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes and check to see if you need 5-10 additional minutes. Remove the bread with it is slightly golden and baked-through.
  9. Once the sweet bread is cooled completely, remove it from the Bundt pan. This is the time I put the in the baby!
  10. Finish the King Cake by icing it. You can make royal icing or melting batch of frosting or buttercream until it's ready to pour or pipe-over. This is the moment you'll want to have your sprinkles or sugar on-hand to dust the top.

Video