Three Kings Day is almost here and it’s one of those Mexican traditions that many of us grew up with. In fact, in many Mexican households parents skip giving their children gifts on Christmas Day and wait until January 6th to give them their gifts that not Santa Claus brought them, but the Three Kings. In an effort to help you celebrate this beautiful tradition, we’re sharing Chef Pati Jinich’s delicious chocolate three kings bread recipe to make this date extra special.
It’s a wise idea to make this recipe a day before and don’t forget to add the plastic baby Jesus’s since tradition dictates that whoever gets the baby in their slice has to make the tamales in a couple of weeks.
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
1/3 of a cup of warm whole milk
1 package or 2 teaspoons of powdered yeast
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1/2 cup or one stick of unsalted butter
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
5 large eggs
Bread
1/2 cup of powdered cocoa
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons of water
1/2 cup of candied cherries
1/2 cup orange zest
Glaze
1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup of condensed milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of powdered sugar
Instructions
Warm up the milk, but make sure it’s not too hot or not too cold otherwise the yeast won’t react, then add the powdered yeast. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then move the mixture until the yeast is completely dissolved. Once its ready, add the flour and sugar. Mix it well, it should be sticky and liquidy. Let it sit where there is no movement of air for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it doubles in size and it has bubbles on the surface.
In a mixer, add the butter and mix it in slowly until it is soft. Add 2/3 cups of sugar and mix until it’s spongy. Continue mixing, adding one egg at a time. Reduce the speed and add the cocoa. Then gradually add 1/2 cup of flour and a pinch of salt. Continue mixing for about 7 to 8 minutes, the dough should be elastic and sticky. Form a ball and place it in a glass container and cover it with some kitchen cloth and let it sit for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Grease a round pan or even a pizza pan. Beat the dough with your fist. Form a round donut and insert the baby Jesus’s inside the dough, then let it sit for about 45 minutes to an hour until it grows again.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix an egg with water with a fork. Paint the dough with this glaze. Then dust the 1/4 cup of sugar on top of it. You can decorate it with cherries or orange zest. Leave space so that you can add the glaze when it’s done baking. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Glaze
In a small bowl add the melted butter. Add the condensed milk and vanilla and mix it. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until all of the ingredients are mixed in well. Then add the glaze as pictured below to finish decorating your Chocolate King’s Bread. Enjoy!