How to Make Three Kings Sweet Bread

Three Kings Sweet Bread, or Rosca de Reyes, is a ring-shaped bread garnished with nuts and dried fruits served on Three Kings Day. For Hispanics, this is a religious holiday, celebrated January 6, the last day of the 12 days of Christmas. A small figurine is baked inside the bread and whoever finds it in their slice must host the February 2 Dia de la Candelaria, or Candlemas Day Party.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Gather your ingredients for the dough, which include ½ cup warm water, 8 ½ cups flour, 8 eggs, 1 ¼ cups sugar, 1 ¾ cups butter, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 ¾ cakes of compressed yeast.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Gather your ingredients for the decorative paste, which includes 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter, 1 egg, 1 ¾ cups flour and a handful of walnuts and candied fruits. An optional glaze can be prepared with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup orange juice and walnuts and candied fruits.
3. Crumble the yeast cakes in the warm water and mix together with the flour, eggs, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
4. Shape the dough on a large baking sheet into a ring, the size and shape of a wreath. Wrap a ceramic, not plastic, figurine in foil and hide it inside the dough before you finish shaping the wreath. Cover the ring with a towel and put it in a warm place for two hours.
5. Wait until the bread has risen and then prepare the paste by creaming the butter and sugar together, beating in the egg and slowly mixing in the flour. The optional glaze can be prepared by beating together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle either the paste or the glaze over the top of the bread in a traditional pattern that looks like sunshine rays coming out from the center.
6. Bake the sweet bread until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the bread from the baking sheet to a round cake platter and allow it to cool before garnishing with the walnuts and candied fruits.

Tips & Warnings

• Condensed yeast works faster and longer than regular dry yeast. It's packaged in foil-wrapped cakes rather than the envelopes of regular yeast.