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4.8 from 18 votes

Dreikönigskuchen (Swiss Three Kings Cake)

Dreikönigskuchen, Three Kings Cake, may also be called an Epiphany cake. These citrus and raisin bread rolls are lightly sweet and great way to celebrate the Epiphany! Yield: 1 (10 inch) cluster of rolls, 8 regular and 1 large roll

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Rising Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 10 people
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Swiss

Ingredients

  • ½ c (70g) raisins
  • 1 c (250mL) milk, warmed to 80F
  • ¼ c + 1 Tbsp (50g+14g) sugar, divided
  • 4 tsp (10g) active dry yeast
  • 4 Tbsp (55g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp lemon zest (zest of one large lemon)
  • 4 c (500g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp (4 g) salt
  • 1 almond (for the “king”) (optional)
For The Topping
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp milk
  • 1-2 tsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a small bowl, cover raisins with warm water. Set aside until plump.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix milk with 1 Tbsp of sugar and yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
  3. Mix the softened butter, ¼ c sugar, egg, and lemon zest in with the yeast mixture.
  4. Mix in 1 cup of flour.
  5. Add the salt and 2 cups flour, mixing as you add.
  6. Drain the raisins and knead them in to the dough. Add the add the remaining 1 cup of flour slowly, mixing until a soft dough starts to come together.
  7. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes by hand, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Knead until smooth. (If using the dough hook on a stand mixer, knead 5-7 minutes, or until smooth.)
  8. Place the dough in a clean, greased bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel, and set in a warm (70F) draft-free location to rise until doubled, roughly 2 hours.
  9. After rising, turn the dough out of the bowl, onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a couple of times to deflate.
  10. Divide the dough into 10 roughly equal pieces. Shape 8 of the pieces into rolls. Combine 2 of the pieces into one, larger roll.
  11. Arrange the rolls on a greased baking sheet, with the larger roll at the center and the 8 rolls around the larger one, leaving just a little room between each roll for them to touch each other as they rise.
  12. Brush the rolls with the egg and milk mixture. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar and sliced almonds.
  13. Set the rolls aside to rise, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, until puffy.
  14. Near the end of rising time, preheat your oven to 350F. Bake the risen rolls for 25-30 minutes, until golden.
  15. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  16. These rolls are best if eaten the day they are made, but they will stay good on the counter in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.

Notes

  • This recipe yields rolls that around around 4 ounces each, which are on the large size. If you want to half the recipe or divide the dough and make two crowns, you will need to bake them for 20-25 minutes, until golden and the big roll in the center registers around 190F with a thermometer.