A recipe for rosca de reyes to make at Christmas
The rosca de reyes or roscón, is a dessert in the form of circular bread, sweet, soft, decorated with dried fruits and almonds. It is usually common to eat it during the Christmas seasons.
It receives this name because it is preparing to celebrate the arrival of the Magi on January 6. This dessert is present in Latin American gastronomy as a heritage of the gastronomy of Spain. In the latter this is a more deeply rooted tradition.
Generally, it is common to buy this roscón, but the cake is not always soft and fresh. Fortunately, its preparation is simple to do at home, and We will explain it below, including some recommendations to make it perfect for you.
Ingredients for a large rosca de reyes
For the mass
80 gr of butter at room temperature.
150 gr of powdered sugar.
550 grams of all-purpose sugar.
Orange peel.
A pinch of salt to taste.
The skin of a lemon.
2 eggs
130 gr of whole milk.
30 ml of orange blossom water.
250 gr of baker's yeast.
For decoration
A few drops of orange blossom water.
Necessary quantity of candied orange.
Necessary amount of sugar.
Necessary amount of almonds.
An egg yolk and sugar
Half a cup of cherries in syrup.
What you should keep in mind before starting the recipe
The amount of flour can vary depending on the hydration or humidity of the dough when you are kneading it. Therefore, it is best to have a little extra to add while kneading as needed.
In our recipe we will explain the preparation by kneading by hand, but you can use a food processor to make the process easier.
If your tray is small, with this amount of ingredients you can make two small roscones.
Steps for making the rosca de reyes
Note: We will divide the process into several primary phases so that you better understand each process.
Preparation of the dough
Grate the orange and lemon peel and mix this with the sugar.
Put the milk in a glass and let it heat just a little in the microwave. In this we will pour the yeast and stir a little with a spoon until it is completely dissolved.
In a large enough bowl, add the flour and shape it into a volcano. Pour the yeast milk around the center, followed by the sugar with the zest from step 1.
Next, add the orange blossom water, the eggs and the salt.
Begin to integrate with the help of a spatula and making enveloping movements, pouring the flour into the volcano and starting from the center outwards.
Beat the butter with the spatula until it looks like a kind of ointment and integrate it into the bowl with the dough.
Continue integrating the ingredients and when you can make a ball with the dough, grease a flat surface and your hands with oil. Place the dough on the surface and continue kneading until the dough is homogeneous.
Make a ball and place it in a large bowl, flouring it a little.
Cover the dough with a clean, dry cloth and let it rest for 12 hours at 20º C in a place where there are no drafts.
Preparation of roscones
If you want to make two roscones, divide the dough into two portions. If not, just roll into a large ball and let it rest for five more minutes, so the dough loses its tension.
Prepare a tray by covering it with greaseproof paper, or by greasing it with butter and placing the ball of dough on top.
Make a hole in the center of the dough and very carefully continue opening until you notice that it is shaped like a thread. Ideally, while opening the hole, stretch the dough a little to form a thread.
In case the dough shrinks, you can stretch a little more.
Let it rest for a few minutes so that the dough loses its tension and continues stretching. Remember that the hole should be larger than expected in these threads, as it will close a bit when you bake.
Cover the dough with a cloth and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for two hours.
Preheat the oven to 200º C and paint the thread with an egg beaten with sugar and milk.
Decorate the thread with the almonds, oranges and cherries. Next, add the orange blossom water, spreading it over the roscón.
Bake the thread at 180º C with heat up and down for 20 minutes. However, keep an eye out after 10 minutes that it doesn't brown too much.
If you notice that it browned very quickly, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking for a few more minutes without reaching 20 minutes so that it is not too dry.
Final finish
Remove the roscón from the oven and let it rest at room temperature on a wire rack for a few minutes, so that the bottom of the thread is not damp.
When the roscón is cold, you can cut it in half and fill with pastry cream, chocolate, cream or truffles. You can also sprinkle some powdered sugar on the surface.
What can I serve the roscón with?
This is a dessert that, due to the dates on which it is prepared, is perfect to eat with a cup of hot chocolate or a cup of coffee. You can also enjoy it with a glass of cava or an infusion of chamomile tea.
How to preserve the rosca de reyes?
So that your rosca de reyes does not become too hard or dry out, it is best to cover it with transparent paper to store it. Another option is to simply store it in a plastic bag.
Also, it is ideal to store it in a hermetically sealed bread basket or plastic container. In this way we will avoid that air is allowed to pass into the threads.