Brioche des rois: the best recipe
In Provence, for Epiphany, the orange blossom brioche des rois, also called "gâteau des rois" (king cake), is preferred over the frangipane galette. This traditional brioche, usually enjoyed only in January, is a quick and easy recipe that can be decorated with candied fruit as desired.
Ingredients · Servings 12 people
- 500g T55 flour
- 25 cl milk
- 20 g yeast
- 2 eggs
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp natural orange flavoring
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
- coarse sugar
- fruit preserve
- 50 g water
- 50 g sucre
- 1 tsp orange flavoring
Method · 20 min
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dissolve the yeast in the milk (a little tip: add a little sugar, it activates the yeast). Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the orange blossom water, orange extract, and the milk with the yeast, then begin kneading. Add the egg.
- Mix until the dough is almost no longer sticky (10 min), your dough should be soft. Add the butter, cut into small pieces, little by little, continuing to knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl (10 min).
- Place in the oven (preheated to 50°C and turned off) preferably in a stainless steel bowl (good heat conductor) for 2 hours covered with a tea towel.
- Gently flatten the dough with your fists, divide the dough in 2, form a ball, make a hole in the center and spread the dough out into a crown shape, shaping your brioche des rois.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rest again in the oven covered with a tea towel for 2.5 to 3 hours, or even overnight.
- Beat the second egg yolk with milk and brush the brioche with the mixture. Add the granulated sugar (it's less hard and won't melt during baking). Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes for a large brioche.
- Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, continue heating for 8 to 10 minutes until a syrup forms. Let it cool slightly, then add the orange flavoring. Brush the cooled King Cake with the syrup and add the candied fruit. If you like candied fruit, you can add some to the dough while kneading. I don't add any because I prefer King Cake without candied fruit, except for decoration.
- To keep it fresh once it's cold, put it in a freezer bag; it will stay soft for several days.
Brioche
- 500g of T55 flour
- Milk 25 cl
- Yeast 20 g
- Egg 2
- Vanilla sugar 1 sachet
- Salt 1 tsp
