King Cake Bread

Cinnamon swirl bread filled with cream cheese filling and topped with vanilla icing and purple, green and gold for Mardi Gras.

In south Louisiana, we have Mardi Gras at the beginning of the New Year. It changes from year to year. It can be in February, that is early, and in March. This year (when this is posted) it falls on February 13.

If you haven't heard of Mardi Gras, here is a little history. Mardi Gras in French means Fat Tuesday, it is the day before Ash Wednesday, where people feast and party before Lent where people give up something during that time. The first recorded Mardi Gras goes back to 1699.

The traditions vary from region to region but in New Orleans the major partying starts on Lundi Gras and ends on midnight Mardi Gras. During the time of Mardi Gras traditional you eat of King Cake, Red Beans and Rice and Crawfish Boils. There are parades where they throw out candy, beads, doubloons, toys, masks and one crew they throw painted coconuts.

This bread is inspired by King Cake that I have been consuming all of my life. This doesn't have the baby in, which is traditional if you get the baby you have to purchase the next King Cake.

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King Cake Bread

Time

Prep- ~20 minutes

Proofing- 4 hours
Baking- 30 to 45 minutes
Cooling- ~1 hour

Ingredients

For the dough 
2 1/2 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon Granulated Sugar, divided
1/4 cup Warm Water,  (105 to 115 degrees)
1 cup Warm Milk
4 teaspoons Unsalted Butter
4 1/2 cup Unbleached Bread Flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
1 egg, room temperature

For the filling
1 package Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, divided
1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, divided

For the Glaze
2 1/2 cups Confectioners' Sugar
3 to 4 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
Purple, Green and Gold colored sugar

1. Combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 warm water. Whisk together and let bloom for about 10 minutes until foamy.
2. While the yeast is blooming, heat milk and butter until better is almost fully melted. Let milk and butter to cool for 5 minutes, you do not want to scotching hot milk.
3. In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of bread flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Add bloomed yeast and stir until well combined. Pour cooled milk-butter into the flour mixture until a ball can be formed. 
4. Sprinkle a little flour on a clean surface, knead dough for 2 to 3 minutes. One sign the dough is alive, while you knead it will return it shape.
5. Place dough into a greased bowl and cover for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
6. Sprinkle a little more flour, flatten dough out then fold in the sides then fold the top like an envelope. Press into a square and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
6. While the dough is resting again, combine cinnamon, sugar and pinch of sea salt. Set aside. Cream together cream cheese, vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons sugar and last pinch of sea salt. Set aside.
7. Butter a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan.
8. Rolling dough out into a 12 inch by 22 inch rectangle. If the dough starts to shrink, pull down out to keep it shape.
9. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough evenly leaving at least 1 inch from the edge then sprinkle over cinnamon sugar. Pat cinnamon sugar into the cream cheese then roll the dough starting in the middle and making the way up. Pinch the seams and the ends closed then place into prepared pan.
10. Cover pan and let proof for 2 hours until it doubles and is at least 2 inches above the pan. 
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut slits into the top, at least 3.  Place onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, checking after it bakes for 20 minutes. If it starts to brown really fast, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until the loaf stand up and sounds hollow if tapped with fingers. Let cool on a wired rack in the pan for 15 minutes remove and let cool completely on a wired rack completely. I recommend overnight to make sure it is completely cooled.
12. Whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla extract and pinch of sea salt until thick. Drizzle glaze over cooled bread then sprinkle colored sugar in the pattern purple, green and gold. Let the glaze set for 20 to 30 minutes.

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