Rosca de Reyes
Three Kings Sweet Bread
Rosca is the name given to any ring-shaped bread or cookie. This sweet
bread was once used by the friars to evangelize: a small doll, representing
the Christ child, is baked right in the bread- "hidden", to symbolize the
hiding of the infant from King Herod's troops on the day of Los Santos
Inocentes, the Holy Innocents. This treat is traditionally served on the
festive Three Kings Day, when the children receive their toys. Whoever gets
the slice of rosca with the doll in it has to provide the tamales and atole
for the next party, on Candlemas. To make a party-size rosca, you'll need:

Ingredients:

For the dough:
8 1/2 cups flour
8 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups butter
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1.6 oz.(2 3/4 cakes) compressed yeast

For the decorative paste:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
Preparation:


Crumble the yeast cakes into 1/2 cup warm water (about 85º F.) Mix with all
other dough ingredients and beat the batter well until smooth and elastic.
On a large baking sheet, shape the dough into a ring, resembling a large
wreath. Cover the ring with a clean cloth or towel and let it sit in a warm
place for two hours.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350º F. If you'd like to hide the infant in
the cake, tuck a miniature plastic doll inside. After the rosca has risen,
and before putting it in the oven, prepare the decorative paste by creaming
the butter and sugar together, beating in the egg and gradually mixing in
the flour. Use this paste to decorate the sweet bread in the form of rays
coming out from the center.

Bake until the rosca is golden brown. Decorate with candied fruit; in
Mexico, candied cactus, called biznaga, is used.

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/recip...eyesbread.html

--
William Barfieldsr