Happy Epiphany! Today marks the end of Christmas. As most of you know, I am not particularly religious, but I do love the cultural aspects around some traditions, and as far as this one goes, I’m in because it involves food. So, this is the day, allegedly, that the three wise men or three kings came to present offering and a little boy rocked out on the drums. In some cultures, there is a three kings cake — galette des rois and gâteau des rois in France, the roscón de reyes in Spanish-speaking countries, the Bolo-rei in Portugal, in Greece there is the vasilopita which is similar, and in German-speaking countries, there is the Dreikönigskuchen. It’s also the beginning of the Mardi Grad / Fasching / Carnival season, where New Orleans has it’s traditional, very colorful King’s Cake.
What is common in all of these is that there is a toke hidden in the cake — a nut, a coin, a marble, or in the case of the New Orleans style cake, a baby figurine. If you are lucky to find the token, and not break your teeth in the process, you will have luck and prosperity for the coming year.
So here is my version: is a Swiss-inspired style Dreikönigskuchen made with a yeasted, or in my case, sourdough base. There is a marble in there some place and I was going to make an actual crown, but my baking skills are better than my arts & crafts skills.
Ingredients
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (200 grams) ripe sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed to between 100-110F
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup raisins (I prefer golden raisins)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 egg, combined with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash
1/3 cup hagelzucker (pearl sugar) (can be substituted with raw sugar)
1/3 cup almond slices
You will also need a coin or marble to hide on one of the balls.
Directions
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle. Heat milk and butter, combine with your sourdough starter, and pour into the well. Add egg, vanilla extract, raisins and dried cranberries, and mix until fully combined. Turn out onto a well-floured counter and knead until you have cohesive dough. It should be fairly soft and supple. Set aside in a warm, draft free place for a couple of hours in a greased bowl until it has doubled in size.
Divide dough into 1 larger piece (a third od the dough) and then the remaining to 8-9 equal piece. Form into balls (one larger and the remaining smaller, and then cup the dough ball in your hand and roll on the counter, seam side down, so that you have taunt balls. Hide the coin or marble in one of the balls. Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining buns. Let rise, covered with a clean dishtowel, while the oven heats.
Heat oven to 375F. Once the oven is ready, brush the rolls with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with pearl sugar and sliced almonds before sliding into the oven and baking for 25-30 minutes. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Careful when you eat it so that you don’t break a tooth on the coin or marble. If you find it, you have luck for the year.
