Baking Day

I love to bake – but don’t knead to eat it. So today was sour dough day. I fed the starter on Friday night and made the dough on Saturday and put it in the pans last night, so it was ready to bake this morning. I baked the four loaves and took them to church and our church nurse will deliver them on Tuesday. I have been feeding this starter for I think 3 years. I got the starter from Carol Ann Tingle and have been making it ever since. I usually stocked Catherine up every couple of weeks, but don’t think I can mail loaves to Ireland. So will try to make it every week and give it away.

With Mardi Gras this week. I had seen some recipes for a King Cake. Again, I wanted to bake – but didn’t knead to eat it. I made one to share with my Sunday School Class and any one else that came by for snack.

You might ask what a King Cake is:

Epiphany, celebrated in European countries, marks the coming of the wise men who brought gifts to the Christ Child. Epiphany is also called Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night, and is celebrated twelve nights after Christmas. People from all of the world celebrate Epiphany by exchanging gifts and feasting. A very popular custom that is still celebrated is the making of the "King's Cake" which represents the three kings who brought gifts. A plastic baby is baked inside the King Cake, and the tradition is whoever receives the baby in their piece of cake must buy the next King Cake or throw the next party. King Cakes are made of a cinnamon filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. The cake is topped with a delicious glazed topping and then sprinkled with colored sugar. The three colors of the sugar are Purple (representing Justice), Green (representing Faith) and Gold (representing Power). Today the King Cakes are baked with a wide assortment of fillings inside the cake. King Cake is the preferred dessert and snack in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season. Many are shipped throughout the U.S. for those displaced New Orleanians longing for a taste of Mardi Gras. In fact, a Mardi Gras party wouldn't be a Mardi Gras party without a King Cake.

There are many different recipes for King Cake on the internet. Basically, a King Cake uses a sweet dough with a filling. After looking at several, I decided that the sweet dough I have made since Mother taught me how to knead dough as a child would work with a little tweaing. This recipe was our roll recipe for hot rolls or cinnamon rolls.

Recipe

Sweet dough

5-6 Cups Bread Flour ( I use King Arthur) I used 1 ½ cups white whole wheat

2 pkgs active dry yeast

½ cup sugar

½ cup softened butter

1 ½ tsp salt

1 cup milk

2/3 cups water

3 eggs

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp freshly grated cinnamon or 1 tsp canned.

Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in bowl, blend well

Heat water and milk until warm to touch – not scalding – about 110 degrees

Add warm liquids to bowl, with mixer, beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add eggs and butter and 1 more cup of flour, spices and beat 1 more minute

(at this point I use the dough hook) stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.

If using the dough hook, beat until dough leaves sides of the bowl.

If kneading by hand, turn out on a floured board and knead for 5-10 minutes

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Roll into a 22X12 inch rectangle – spread with filling, add a small plastic baby and roll up jelly roll style and shape into a ring.

Allow to rise until double or put in the refrigerator 2 -24 hours. If refrigerating, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or golden brown.

Allow to cool and add icing

Filling

1 package cream cheese, 1 egg, ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, beat all ingredents1

Icing

½ cup butter

2 cups powered sugar,

1 TBS milk.

Purple, green and yellow food coloring. Sprinkles if desired

Beat all ingredients. Divide in thirds color and pipe icing or ice