Recipe to prepare your Roscón de Reyes at home

A very special day is approaching, the day of the Three Wise Men. It is special for children, because of the gifts that the Three Wise Men will have left them; and special for the family, since there are many who take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate together on that day. And on that table there will be no shortage of desserts: a traditional Roscón de Reyes!

What could be more beautiful than being able to enjoy the cake you've made yourself? Making it at home is easier than it may seem: the recipe for Roscón de Reyes is brought to us by Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes . You just need a little patience to make it, since it requires its fermentation and rising times, but following the steps you'll see is not complicated and Rosa details them wonderfully well. Go for it!

I admit that making our own Roscón de Reyes at home for the first time can be a bit intimidating if we are not familiar with this type of dough, as it requires planning our time in advance, being patient and devoting a little more attention to it than to other, less laborious recipes.

However, believe me when I tell you that this is by no means an unattainable feat, reserved for a select few. In fact, anyone who sets their mind to it is capable of successfully completing this challenge; we just have to respect the times and the different points of the recipe and we will be thrilled to see that all our dedication will have been well invested when we taste the first bite. I guarantee that if you go step by step, you will be left with an incredibly fragrant and tender crumb that will make it really difficult for you to decide when to stop. In short, success is guaranteed.

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Even so, I must warn you before you continue tempting yourself; we have been making our Roscón de Reyes at home for several years now and now it is almost unthinkable that we can settle for any commercial version. In addition to the satisfaction of enjoying a traditional recipe prepared by ourselves and the peace of mind of having personally chosen each of the ingredients, the aroma that lingers in the house lasts for days, even before you start baking, and is absolutely irresistible.

Ingredients (for 1 large roscón or 2 medium roscóns)

All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated.

For the preferment

• 125ml whole milk, warm
• 5gr of fresh bakery yeast
• 130gr of strong flour

For the main dough

• 125gr of superfine sugar
• Zest of half a lemon (only the yellow part)
• Zest of half an orange (only the orange part)
• 10gr of fresh bakery yeast
• 3 tablespoons whole milk, warm
• 390 - 425gr of strong flour
• 2 eggs (M)
• 1 ½ tablespoons of orange blossom water
• 1 tablespoon of mild honey (orange blossom, acacia, etc.)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 115gr unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil for greasing

For decoration

• 1 beaten egg
• Pearl sugar (or alternatively, white sugar moistened with a few drops of water)
• Candied fruit to taste
• Sliced ​​almonds
• Dried beans, various figurines (optional, but never plastic)

*1 tablespoon=15 ml; 1 teaspoon=5ml*

Elaboration

From the preferment

1. In a medium bowl , dissolve the yeast in the warm milk (be careful, it should not get hot, just slightly warm to the touch!). Let it rest for 1 minute.

2. In a separate bowl, place the flour, make a hole in the center and, little by little, add the milk and yeast mixture while stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon until everything is well integrated into a dense and quite sticky dough.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (8 to 12 hours maximum).

The preferment, with a sticky and dense texture

4. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator (despite the cold, the dough will have visibly risen and puffed up) and allow to acclimatize at room temperature for approximately 1 ½ hours until it has completely lost its coldness.

From the main mass

1. In a medium bowl , rub the sugar and citrus zest together thoroughly with your fingertips until it resembles wet sand and the oils from the fruit's skin have been released. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl , dissolve the yeast in the warm milk (again, never hot) and mix until dissolved. Let stand for 1 minute.

3. In another large bowl, we initially place 390 g of the strong flour and make a hole in the center with the help of a spatula (if we are going to use a food processor or electric mixer to knead , we will use its own bowl and the kneading hook accessory).

4. Next, pour the milk and yeast mixture, the flavoured sugar, the eggs, the salt, the orange blossom water and the honey into the hole formed and mix slowly until all the ingredients are well integrated; you will end up with a dense, firm and still somewhat dry dough.

5. Next, we add the pre-ferment that we had prepared and begin to knead gently until we obtain a soft and homogeneous dough.

On the left, the main dough before adding the preferment; on the right, the dough with the preferment added and both doughs already well integrated.

6. Once both doughs are perfectly integrated, we begin to add the butter in several batches (I have been dividing it into up to 5 additions) gradually and without stopping kneading; we will not add more butter until the previous portion has been completely incorporated. It is possible that, at times, we may think that the dough has gone bad because it will acquire a very loose appearance, but it is only a matter of continuing to knead and everything will take shape.

7. Once all the butter has been incorporated, continue kneading with a little more energy for about 8-10 minutes (a little longer if kneading by hand) until you have a soft and elastic dough, although it will be somewhat greasy. If it is too sticky, you can add the remaining 35 g of flour, spoonful by spoonful, until you obtain the desired texture (it may not be necessary to add all of it). You will know that your dough is well kneaded when it comes away easily from the bowl (or from your hands and the work surface); this will mean that the gluten has developed correctly. To make sure, take a pinch of dough between the thumb and index finger of both hands, stretch it gently and check if a smooth, translucent membrane forms. If so, it is ready.

8. Next, shape the dough into a ball with your hands, place it in a large bowl , previously greased with a thin film of vegetable oil, cover with cling film and let it rest in a warm place, away from drafts, for 1 – 1 ½ hours (you can use a kitchen timer to help you) or until it has approximately doubled in volume.

Dough before and after rising

9. After this time, carefully place the dough on a work surface, deflate it by gently pressing it with your knuckles about 4-5 times, cover it with cling film (without tightening it) and let it relax for about 10 minutes.

10. If you are making two roscóns, divide the dough into two equal parts by cutting it with a large, sharp knife or a baker's scraper (never cut it with your hands) and shape each part (or the whole dough if you are making just one roscón) into balls until you get a good tension on the surface. Once again, let the dough relax for another 5-10 minutes.

11. Next, we move on to shaping the roscón, for which we will insert our fingers into the center from the bottom until we open a hole in the surface, which we will gently enlarge (if we see that the dough tends to shrink, it is possible that it is not sufficiently relaxed; we will let it rest for another 5-10 minutes to be able to handle it comfortably).

12. Next, place our roscón on the baking tray, previously covered with baking paper or a reusable silicone mat (if we make two roscóns, we will need two trays). To prevent the central hole from closing during the next (and final) rising or during baking, either place a plating ring or round cookie cutter (about 10 cm in diameter will be enough) in the centre, previously greased with a little vegetable oil, or enlarge the hole to twice the diameter we would like as the final one. (If we are going to include the traditional surprises or beans inside our roscón, we will do so now very carefully, inserting them from the bottom, always wrapped in transparent film).

13. Using a pastry brush , we paint the entire surface of the dough with beaten egg, cover with transparent film, previously greased with a thin film of vegetable oil, and, once again, let our roscón(es) rest in a warm place, away from drafts, until they double in volume (about 2 – 2 ½ hours more).

Formed and risen roscón

14. When we see that the dough is almost ready, we preheat the electric oven (without air) to 200ºC with heat above and below.

15. Brush the entire surface of the dough again with the beaten egg and decorate to taste with candied fruit, pearl sugar, sliced ​​almonds, etc.

16. Place the tray with the roscón in the lower third of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After this time, reduce the temperature to 180ºC and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes until golden brown (if it is browning too much, you can place a bit of aluminium foil loosely over the top).

17. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a rack. (If you used rings for the central hole, remove them after at least 20 minutes; as the cake cools, not only will it not burn you, but it will also come apart more easily.)

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The tenderness of a freshly made roscón only lasts the first day, that is, when freshly made, but it can be kept more or less tender for 2-3 days if well covered and protected from the air.

Grades

Plan your time in advance, taking into account that, as a guide, you will need:

Preferment: 8 – 12 hours (refrigerated) + 1 ½ hours (room temperature)
1st rising: 1 – 1 ½ hours (or until doubled in volume)
2nd rising: 2 – 2 ½ hours (or until doubled in volume)
Baking: 20 – 22 minutes

That is, if you start the day before, you can enjoy your roscón the following afternoon. Not a bad idea, right?

Instead of superfine sugar, you can use normal white sugar, although since the baking time is so short, the former blends better. If you can't find it, it's very easy to make at home, as you just have to "grind" the normal white sugar with a hand or glass blender until you get a finer grain.

Respecting the times and observing the evolution are essential to end up enjoying a good roscón. If we exceed the rising time, our roscón will collapse and fall apart during baking, since its structure will not be able to maintain the excess gas formed. On the other hand, if we do not let it rise enough, we will end up with a dense and firm crumb. So, more is not better and there is no need to rush.

There are other methods for making our own roscón at home, some a little simpler and others more elaborate. I think this one achieves a wonderful balance between process and result. The slow, cold leavening of the preferment provides a flavour and texture to the final crumb that is difficult to compare with other quicker versions.

So go ahead and prepare your own homemade Roscón de Reyes and you'll see what an experience it is. A hug to everyone and happy holidays.

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