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How You Can Partake In The Sweet Tradition Of Latin America’s Rosca De Reyes

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In Latin America and Spain, the celebration of Epiphany Day on January 6, widely known as Día de Reyes, marks the end of the holidays. As such an important day, it comes with its own food and drink traditions, the most important being the traditional Rosca de Reyes, the equivalent of Louisiana’s famed King Cake.

This iconic pastry is a sweet yeast bread, shaped as an oval or ring decorated with candied fruits to represent the bejeweled crowns worn by the Three Wise Men when they visited the Baby Jesus. It is enjoyed starting on the evening of January 5 and through January 6, usually with a cup of hot chocolate. If you want to partake in this fun tradition, there are a few places where you can purchase a perfectly legit rosca.

La Panadería Mexican bakery in San Antonio features miniature roscas on their regular roster of pastries, but during Reyes season they bake family-sized ones as well. With flavors of orange and guava and decorated with chocolate and vanilla butter crust and candied cherries, these are as beautiful as they are delicious.

In Mexican culture it’s traditional to hide a plastic baby to symbolize Jesus, and whoever finds it in their slice must throw a party on February 2 for family and friends. As not everyone is familiar with the tradition, La Panadería includes the baby separately so people can hide them on their own. You can pre-order a small rosca for $4.50, a six-pack of small roscas for $24, or a family size rosca for $24.

Scratch-made in-house at all locations, La Monarca Bakery’s rosca de reyes is made from a butter-rich sweet brioche dough, garnished with pecans, candied cactus and their signature butter-based cookie crust. The baby-Jesus figurines come on the side for you to hide within. If you preorder you can score a medium sized cake for $20 for in-store pickup only. Otherwise, it’s available by the slice and whole for $3 and $24, respectively for same day orders with delivery options.

In Spain, both the tradition and recipe are a little different. Aside from hiding a plastic baby or king, the Roscón de Reyes also hides a dried bean. If you're served a slice with the baby it's your lucky day, but bite into the bean and it’s your job to buy the cake next Christmas.

At José Andrés' Mercado Little Spain and Jaleo restaurants you can order the famed Roscón de Reyes from January 3-6, for pick up or delivery in New York and Washington, D.C. “The Roscón de Reyes is one of the many amazing sweets from Spain, and I’ve been lucky enough to make them for Jaleo over the years,” says Rick Billings, executive chef for ThinkFoodGroup’s Global Tapas.

“Roscón de Reyes is served the night before or the morning of el Día de los Reyes Magos, or Epiphany, on January 6. The base is a brioche-like dough; rich, light, orange-flower water scented, decorated with dried fruits, almonds, and sugar.

After cooling, we cut it open and fill with whipped cream. We hide a bean, and a small ceramic King figure in the cake. Per tradition, if you find the bean you must buy the Roscón next year, but if you find the King, you get to wear the crown and will have good luck for the whole year.”

Chef Billings thinks everyone should make it a tradition to celebrate the day with one of these pastries, so he’s providing his recipe in case there are no bakeries in your area making roscas.

Roscón de Reyes

Recipe from Rick Billings from ThinkFoodGroup

Serves 8

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons granulated yeast

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup sugar, plus more as needed

1/3 cup butter

1 egg + 1 yolk

Zest from 1/2 an orange

1 teaspoon dark rum

1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Candied orange peel, for garnish

Candied cherries, for garnish

1 bean

1 ceramic king or baby figurine

Place the bread flour, yeast, milk, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on low for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes more.

Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and add the butter. Once incorporated, increase speed one setting and continue to mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 12-15 minutes.

Coat a large container with non-stick cooking spray, add the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area, such as an oven, and let rise for 24 hours. Remove the dough and roll it into a ball on a floured surface. Let rest for 30 minutes more.

Punch the dough down and create a hole in the center. Continue to shape and stretch the dough outwards into a doughnut shape, about 14-16 inches in diameter. Transfer to a parchment lined tray and proof approximately 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and yolk with 1 tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. In a separate bowl, combine 1-2 tablespoons of sugar with equal amounts water. Brush the dough with the egg wash and place the candied fruit on top, then the wet sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool.

For the whipped cream filling:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium until stiff peaks form and transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip.

Cut the roscón in half. Pipe the cream on the bottom half, then place one bean and one king figure on the cream and place the other half on top.

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