King's Cake New Orleans Style --Happy Mardi Gras!

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is here and I've got a fun recipe for Mardi Gras (which was yesterday).

(Gratuitous brownie photo. This is what some of us WON'T be having during Lent!)

Really, this post should have been last week, but Lent sort of snuck up on me. I mean, really, didn't we just HAVE Lent like two months ago? I guess Christmas was in there somewhere, so it stands to reason that Lent has come again. Funny how the fun holidays can't come fast enough, but nobody says, "Gee, I can't wait for Lent this year!"

(If you're not familiar with Lent, it's a liturgical season before Easter. Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying, it's a time to spend 40 days getting rid of bad habits and growing closer to God. No hair shirts required, unless you've got one lying around.)

 (A little Lenten inspiration for those of us who think we don't have time, or the means, to make a difference.)

Don't ask what I'm doing yet. As I said, it all sort of snuck up on me. In my family, we usually dedicate ourselves to one new good thing (extra prayers, extra chores for someone else) and working on breaking a bad habit/ giving up something as a sacrifice. At my age, I should had lots of bad habits, but as a non-drinker, non-smoker, non-party type, I don't have much to work with. 

I was thinking of giving up sugar, but I'm not sure that's enough of a sacrifice. We've got to really FEEL the Lenten burn, baby! 

Maybe coffee? Oooh, scary thought!

Anyway, this little cake will be just perfect for NEXT fat Tuesday, as a pre-Lent celebration, and you'll be all ready for Ash Wednesday... and the forty days of tightening your spiritual belt. 

Let's start with the brioche (the sweet bread)

     Add 1/2 cup warm water to 2 envelopes active dry yeast (this is 5 tsp if you use a larger container)

        Let it sit for five minutes

Mix together:

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Mix  and beat lightly 

1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
4 egg yolks

 Make a well in the flour mixture and add to the center.

 Mix, adding a little flour if needed.

 Start kneading on the board.
Mix 1/2 cup butter, softened into the dough. Knead until it's elastic.

 Put it in a buttered bowl, turning to make sure all sides are buttered.

 Cover and let rise for about an hour, somewhere a little warm, until doubled in size.

 Punch it down once.

 Form into a ring, pinching the ends. Now, this is where most people would add a small figurine (the baby) or a coin or a bean.

 I hid a little bean in there. Preheat the oven to 375F and while the oven is warming, cover the cake and let it rise a little more, about 15 minutes.

 Put it in the oven for 30 minutes and while it's cooking, set out three small bowls of plain sugar.

 Use a few drops of food dye and make yellow, green, and purple.

Ta-dah.

 OK, at this point, I realized I missed a small step in the recipe. The dough should have been divided and it makes two cakes. Ah well. One GIANT brioche emerged from the oven.

 Layer on the sugar, patting it down as needed. (Don't worry about how thick to lay it on. The bread isn't that sweet, and when you cut a slice, there will be a layer of sugar at the top. If anyone objects, they can brush it off.)

And there it is, a sweet bread that rises nicely (and should probably rest a few minutes before cutting, but hey, the blog post must go up!).

 Happy Ash Wednesday everybody and I hope this Lent brings you closer to Jesus in every way!