Fat Tuesday King Cake

Wow! What a week! Not only did we just kick off the Chinese New Year, but it's Fat Tuesday. Plus, Valentine's Day and Bob's birthday are right around the corner. Fat Tuesday, aka Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras, is a day to indulge and enjoy all that life has to offer before the beginning of Lent, a season of fasting that lasts until Easter. Whether you celebrate or not, this king cake is a pretty dessert that is fun to make. We used our sparkling sugar and bread flour to make this cake really shine. It's really more like a sweet bread than a cake, and the high protein content in our bread flour gives it a nice loft and chewy texture. Decorate your cake with whatever fun colors you want by following the instructions on our bag of sparkling sugar. Traditional colors are yellow, green, and purple, but we say have fun with it! King cakes are made all over the world, and this recipe is a New Orleans-style king cake (as opposed to this French galette des rois). It traditionally has a small plastic baby figurine or bean placed under a portion (after baking!!) to represent Epiphany. Whoever finds the baby or bean is the winner and/or needs to supply next year’s king cake. Epiphany happens in early January, but king cakes are often used to celebrate Mardi Gras. Variations in other countries include fruit and nuts in place of the colored sprinkles. Throw a king cake in the oven, then break out your most colorful costume, add some colored beads, and crank up your favorite brass band to enjoy a day of revelry in honor of Mardi Gras!

King Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Passive Time: 60-90 minutes | Makes 16-20 servings By Sarah House for Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods. Bread Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water (110°F)
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (7 g)
• 3 cups Artisan Bread Flour
• 1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
• 2 tsp grated Lemon Zest, about 1/2 lemon
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp Salt

Filling:

• 1 lb Cream Cheese softened
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp grated Lemon Zest, about 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup chopped Pecans, toasted and cooled

Glaze:

• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2-4 Tbsp Water
• 2 cups Colored Sparkling Sugar (yellow, green, purple)

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water and sugar. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes while the yeast dissolves. Meanwhile, combine the bread flour, nutmeg, and lemon zest and set aside. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and melted butter to the yeast mixture and mix briefly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a rough dough ball forms, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and continue to mix until smooth and uniform, 7-10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes. While the dough rises, prepare the filling: mix together the cream cheese, brown sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and creamy, then fold in the toasted pecans. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the risen dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 18 x 30 inches. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1- to 2-inch border around the edges. Working from the long end, tightly roll the dough into a long tube. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, seam side down and shape into a large ring. Cover and place in a warm location to rise until doubled in size, another 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the ring until puffed and golden and an internal temperature of 190°F is reached, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely. When king cake has cooled completely, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with enough water to make a thick yet pourable consistency. Pour the glaze over the king cake, letting the excess glaze dribble down the sides. Decorate with traditional strips of green, yellow, and purple colored sugar. If desired, place a small plastic baby figurine or a bean under a portion of the cake before serving. Whoever finds the bean is the winner! Or has to supply next year's king cake.