What’s Mardi Gras Without the King Cake - WFSB 3 Connecticut

What’s Mardi Gras Without the King Cake

For King Cake's and more visit La Brioche Bakery in Vernon!

Or try your own King Cake Recipe:

Dough

Ingredients:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup all purpose shortening
4 cups all purpose flour
2 lg. eggs
1 cup milk (room temperature)
2 sm. packs active dry yeast
¼ tsp lemon flavor
¼ tsp orange flavor
¼ tsp vanilla flavor
¼ tsp butter flavor
½ cup canola oil
½ cup cinnamon sugar

Colored Sugar

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp purple food color
1 tsp yellow food color
1 tsp green food color

Directions:

- In a mixer at first speed combine 1/3 cup granulated sugar, salt, and shortening until well creamed. 

- Add eggs and continue to cream. 

- Dissolve the yeast in the milk and add the flavors. 

- Once dissolved add to creamed mixture and continue to mix. 

- Add flour and mix until dough tightens. 

- Remove from mixer and kneed into a ball.

- At this point sprinkle some flour on top and cover with a clean kitchen towel. 

- Allow the dough to rest for 1½ hours. 

- While the dough is resting mix your colored sugars. 

- Start by taking one cup of sugar and your yellow food coloring.  

- Mix by hand with a wire wisk in a metal bowl until the sugar turns yellow. 

- Pour your yellow sugar into a separate bowl and put off to the side. 

- Repeat this process mixing green then purple.  (By doing them in that order you only dirty one mixingbowl)  

- When dough has rested roll out into an oblong piece.  

- Brush on canola oil covering the entire piece. 

- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar liberally over the whole piece. 

- Once the dough is covered with the cinnamon sugar and oil, fold it in half lengthwise. 

- Cut into 3 strips and braid the dough. 

- Gently roll the dough by starting at one end and working all the way down to the other end. 

- This will make the dough a nice long piece that can then be shaped into a circle. 

- Once shaped place on a baking pan covered with piece of parchment.  

- Allow the dough to rest again until it doubles in size. 

- At this point take a spoon and alternate sprinkling the three colored sugars on top of your circular piece of dough.

- Bake at 370 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until dough is golden brown.  Then laissez les bon temps rouler!