Rosca de Reyes

Rosca or roscón de reyes is a sweet bread ring enjoyed in Latin America and Spain that’s traditionally served on Jan. 6 to celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings’ Day). 

Decorated with candied fruits, and bands of cookie topping and quince, it’s perfect for holiday celebrations spent with friends and family.

Rosca de reyes was the Technical Bake for Bread Week in Season 7 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Rosca de Reyes

Ingredients

Dough:

• ¾ cup 3.25% milk, warmed to 105 F to 115 F
• 1 package (8 g) active dry yeast
• ½ cup plus 1 tsp (100 g plus 4 g) granulated sugar, divided
• Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• 3¾ cups (533 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs, room temperature

Candied Orange Slices:

• 1 small orange
• 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

Candied Maraschino Cherries:

• 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 cup (200 g) red maraschino cherries
• 1 cup (200 g) green maraschino cherries

Cookie Topping:

• ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, separated
• ½ cup (57 g) icing sugar
• ½ cup (71 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
• 100 g quince paste

Preparation

Dough:

Place the warm milk in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar over the milk, gently mix to combine and set aside to activate, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining sugar and orange zest in a large bowl. Rub the zest into sugar with fingers until it resembles wet sand. Add the flour and salt, and mix until well combined.

When the yeast mixture appears activated and bubbly, add the melted butter and eggs, and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix the two together, starting from the middle and pulling in the flour from the sides, until a shaggy dough is formed. 

Lightly coat a large bowl and sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s soft and elastic, about 10 minutes (the dough will stick to the surface at first but will eventually tighten up as you knead). Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover it tightly with the greased plastic wrap. 

Put the bowl in a proofing drawer and let the dough rise until it grows by one-third and the plastic wrap has domed, about 30 minutes. Without a proofing drawer, this will take about 1 hour.

While the dough is fermenting, prepare the fruit toppings.

Candied Orange Slices:

Using a bamboo skewer, poke the orange all over, piercing the flesh. Place the orange in a medium pot of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes, making sure the orange is fully submerged. Transfer the orange to an ice bath to cool, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a cartouche (a parchment paper circle acting as a lid. It has a hole in the centre and fits the circumference of the pot). 

Remove the orange from the ice bath and dry with a towel. Place the orange on its side, with its stem pointing horizontally, and use a serrated knife to slice it into ⅛-inch-thick rounds. Set a wire rack inside a half sheet pan and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.  

Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Place the orange slices in the simmering syrup, top with the cartouche, and simmer until the syrup has thickened and the orange slices are translucent, about 10 minutes. Make sure the orange slices are submerged in the syrup at all times and be careful not to let them burn. Individually remove the candied orange slices from the pot to the rack to cool and dry. 

Candied Maraschino Cherries:

Divide the sugar and water between two small saucepans and bring to a simmer over medium heat, mixing until the sugar has dissolved. Add the red cherries to one pot and the green cherries to the other. Simmer the cherries until the syrup has reduced by one-third and the cherries are shiny, about 15 minutes, being careful not to let the cherries burn. Remove the cherries from their pots and place them on the same rack as the oranges to cool and dry, making sure to leave space between them so they don’t stick together. 

Bread:

After the dough has fermented, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form it into a 25-inch-long log. Line a ¾ sheet pan with parchment paper, then lift the log onto the pan and join the two ends together to form an elongated ring shape. Pull and stretch the ring until it is an even thickness all around. Cover the bread ring with a clean, damp tea towel, and place it in a proofing drawer to rise again until pillowy and bouncy to the touch, about 25 minutes, removing the damp tea towel halfway through the proof. Without a proofing drawer, this will take about 50 minutes.

While the bread ring is proofing, prepare the cookie topping.

Cookie Topping:

In a medium bowl, combine the butter and egg yolk with a rubber spatula. Add the icing sugar and mix until fully combined. Add the flour and mix until fully combined. Divide the cookie topping batter in two and place half on a sheet of parchment paper. Fold the parchment over the topping and flatten it into a 6-inch square with a rolling pin. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining cookie topping batter and mix until thoroughly combined. Repeat the process of rolling out the topping with parchment paper. Chill both squares until firm, about 10 minutes. 

Using a ruler and pastry wheel, cut the chocolate cookie topping into four ½-inch-wide, 6-inch-long strips. Cut the white cookie topping into four triangles measuring 6 inches tall and 2 inches wide at their base. Chill until needed.

In a small bowl, gently whisk the reserved egg white and set aside. 

Using a greased chef’s knife, slice the quince paste into eight ¼-inch-wide, 6-inch-long strips and set aside. 

Assembly:

When the bread has finished proofing, brush the entire ring with egg wash. Adjust the tray so that the seam where the two ends of the dough log were joined together is at the 12 o’clock position. At 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, place a triangle of white cookie topping, with the points of the triangles facing the centre of the ring. Evenly place the strips of chocolate cookie topping and quince paste, using the photo above as a guide if desired. Trim the toppings to fit on the inside and outside of the ring. Dip the bottoms of the cherries in egg white and adhere them to the dough as desired. 

Heat the oven to 375 F. Bake the bread until it is golden brown and baked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the bread ring to a wire rack to cool, trimming any topping that has spread downward. Cut two candied orange slices in half and place them underneath the cherries. 

Makes one bread ring