Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (warm)
• 1 packet instant dry yeast (2 ½ teaspoons)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (divided)
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 4-5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup melted butter
• ¾ cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Colored sugar for the top (green purple and yellow)

Method

1. Combine the warm milk, yeast and 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in a stand mixer bowl and leave the mixture for about 5 minutes until the yeast turns foamy.
2. Add the rest of the granulated sugar, the melted butter and the eggs, and whisk everything together on medium-high speed.
3. Add 4 cups of the flour and the salt, switch to the dough hook, and mix on low until the flour is incorporated, adding more flour only if the dough is too wet; it should pull cleanly from the bowl yet stay slightly sticky.
4. Knead the dough on medium-high for a further 3 to 4 minutes to build its strength.
5. Move the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and prove it for about an hour until doubled in size.
6. Stir the brown sugar, ground cinnamon and melted butter together into a filling while the dough proves.
7. Roll the risen dough on a floured surface into a rectangle of about 24 by 15 inches and cut it lengthwise into three equal strips.
8. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over each strip and sprinkle the chopped pecans along them.
9. Roll each strip up lengthwise into a long filled rope.
10. Pinch the three ropes together at one end, braid the full length, pinch the far end closed, and curve the braid into a ring, pinching its ends together.
11. Set the ring on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover it, and prove it again for 45 minutes to just over an hour until nearly doubled.
12. Heat the oven to 375°F while the ring proves.
13. Bake the king cake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the ring is golden brown all over, then cool it completely.
14. Stir the powdered sugar, water and vanilla into a glaze and pour it evenly over the cooled cake.
15. Scatter the coloured sugars over the glaze in stripes while it is still tacky, then slice the ring once the glaze sets.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 30 min · Total: 150 min

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data