King Cake

Ingredients

• 1 package active yeast dry
• 0.3 cup bourbon 
• 2.5 cups bread flour for dusting plus more
• 0.5 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 0.8 cup brown sugar dark packed
• 2 large egg yolks 
• 0.5 cup golden raisins 
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1  plastic king cake baby dry available at party-supply stores or mardigrasday.com
• 1  lemon zest finely grated
• 0.3 cup milk 
• 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
• 2 teaspoons orange zest grated
• 0.7 cup pecans toasted chopped
• 12 servings purple green for decorating
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1.5 sticks butter unsalted cooled melted plus more for greasing the bowl
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• oven
• plastic wrap

Directions

1. Special equipment: 1 dry bean or plastic King Cake baby (available at party-supply stores or mardigrasday.com)
2. Heat the milk in a saucepan until scalding; transfer to a food processor, add the yeast and pulse to combine.
3. Add 1/2 cup flour and the egg yolks; process to combine.
4. Pour the remaining 2 cups flour evenly over the yeast mixture; do not process.
5. Put the lid on; set aside for 90 minutes.
6. Add the 2 whole eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg to the food processor; process to make a slightly textured dough, about 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add the butter to make a smooth, sticky dough.
7. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 3 hours. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead briefly; form into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
8. Plump the raisins in the bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat.
9. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, salt and the bean or plastic baby; mix until combined and set aside.
10. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom. Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal.
11. Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the roll doubles in size, about 2 hours.
12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
13. Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.
14. Mix 3 tablespoons water with the confectioners' sugar; brush 3 tablespoons glaze over the cake.
15. Sprinkle with bands of colored sugar; drizzle with more glaze.
16. Photograph by Lara Robby/Studio D