Let's bake: Rosca de Reyes

Latinos do not stop celebrating Christmas on January 1st. The fun continues with El día de los reyes magos. In Mexico, the rosca de reyes bread is a must. You can go to your favorite bakery and buy one fresh yummy rosca or you can bake your own.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of the food network. To watch the video click here.

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup dried figs, cut into strips, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel, cut into strips, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup candied lemon peel, cut into strips, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped candied cherries, plus more whole for garnish
• 2 tablespoons light rum
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, divided
• Water

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and warm water; stir to blend. Let stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Put all of the candied fruit in small bowl and drizzle the rum on top. Let stand for 15 minutes to 1 hour to infuse the flavor.

In a small pot, warm the milk over medium heat. Add the sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.

In a large bowl, mix 3 1/2 cups flour, 2 eggs, yeast mixture, milk mixture, and the rum soaked candied fruits, mixing very well until the dough gathers into a ball. If the dough is too wet, Add additional flour, a little at a time, if needed to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Put the ball of dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface. Using your palms, roll the dough into a long rope. Shape the coil into a ring, sealing the ends together. Insert a little doll or coin into the bread from the bottom, if desired. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully transfer the dough ring to the prepared baking pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash, and brush the top of the bread. Decoratively garnish the top of the bread with more candied fruit and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

PaperTigers Book Set Giveaway

PaperTigers.org is giving away an amazing multicultural book set. Visit http://www.papertigers.org to find out how you can win. Deadline for entries is January 19th. ¡Mucha suerte!

 These are the titles that you may win

• Planting The Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire A. Nivola Frances (Foster Books, 2008)
• First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barash (Lee & Low, 2009)
• Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow, illustrated by Helen Cann (Barefoot Books, 2008)
• The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos by Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delacre (Children’s Book Press, 2008)
• My Little Round House by Bolormaa Baasansuren, English adaptation by Helen Mixter (Groundwood Books, 2009)
• One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes (Kids Can Press, 2008)
• Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009).