King Cake

Mix the dough

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and orange zest. Add vanilla and one egg at a time and beat to mix. Dissolve the yeast in the milk. Add milk mixture to the butter mixture and beat. Add the flour to the butter mixture, ½ cup at a time and blend well after each addition.

Knead in the mixing bowl with the flat beater attachment until dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 8 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand for about 5 minutes until smooth. Return to mixing bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rise for about an hour until it doubles in bulk. Remove dough from bowl. Divide into thirds. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, brush the top of each rope generously with melted butter. Brush your baking pan with the remaining butter. Mix together the cinnamon and granulated sugar, pour it over the buttered top of each rope of dough.

Knead by hand

Braid the dough together and carefully form a circle. Place braided circle of dough on buttered baking pan and hide the dry bean or nut in the braid. Sprinkle top of cake with any excess cinnamon sugar. Cover with the clean towel again and allow it to rise for 45 minutes then bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Create three "ropes" of dough and braid.

Finished braid

Make a glaze by combining 2 cups powdered sugar with 1 tsp vanilla extract and enough milk to make it thick. Whisk until smooth and divide into three freezer bags. Generously add food coloring to each of the freezer bags: one yellow, one green and one purple; knead until the colors are smooth. Cut a corner out of each bag and generously drizzle the cake with all three colors.

Whoever finds the nut is crowned king and must make the next cake!