Rosca de Reyes

Mix together the yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp of sugar in a small bowl.

Set the bowl aside in a warm place for 15 minutes or until it’s foamy.

Make the dough
On a flat surface, heap all the flour for the bread and create a well in the flour.

Pour the salt around on the outside of the “well wall.”

Pour the warm milk into the center and with your hands, or a fork, begin to mix.

When the yeast mixture has doubled in volume, add it to the dough and keep kneading.

Add the whisked eggs and continue kneading until all the ingredients are combined.

Knead in the sugar little by little, this will make the dough loosen and begin to moisten.

Start adding in the butter, little bits at a time.

Add the orange zest and continue kneading.

The dough should be sticky and moist and will begin to get springy. This may take approximately 20-25 minutes.

Keep kneading, depending on the weather and humidity you may need to add a little more flour. You can do it, but do it teaspoon by teaspoon, kneading in between. Don’t add too much at once because this could dry out the dough.

You’ll know the dough is ready when taking a ball of dough, you can stretch it like forming a window and the dough does not break easily.

Rest the dough
Form the dough into ball.

Oil a large bowl and place the dough ball inside.

Lightly oil the top of the dough ball and cover with plastic wrap.

With the oven off, set bowl in the oven until dough doubles in size, this may take 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While the dough is resting, prepare the decorations.

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, butter, and flour to form a paste.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

Cut dried fruit in strips.

Make the rosca
Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a floured surface and gently knead it for a few seconds to remove the gas that has formed in the fermentation.

With a rolling pin, form a long rectangle, making sure it is the same thickness.

Then on a longer edge roll the dough toward the other long edge, you will end up with a long log.

Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet and carefully place the strip of dough on top.

Turn the dough into a ring by taking one end of the dough and pushing it together with the other end until both ends are sealed together.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk and milk.

Brush the egg yolk mixture on the dough to give it a nice egg wash.

Take the sugar-flour-butter mixture and divide it into 6 pieces.

Take one piece, make it into a flat oval, and place it on top of the bread. Start with place the two end are sealed together to hide the connection.

Repeat with the other 5 pieces, placing them around the dough ring.

Sprinkle sugar on top of the ovals and decorate the bread with the dried fruit and nuts.

Loosely cover the rosca with plastic wrap, let it rest for 45 minutes in the oven to let it rise again.

Bake
Remove the rosca from the oven and pre-heat it to 325°F.

Bake the rosca for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.

Transfer it to a wire rack to cool down.