Swiss recipe
Three Kings Day Bread by Mrs Claudia Issel’s mom
Small note by Mrs. Claudia Issel about her mom and interesting story behind this Three kings day bread.
“My mother was a Swiss woman who moved to the United States in the 1960s. She started out cooking typical meat and potatoes type dishes for my father, untill the doctor told him he was headed for a heart attack at 40, so he became a strict vegetarian – raw fruit, veg and nuts only. My mother had to adapt her cooking style, preparing not only his food but also something for us kids that was not quite as strict as my father’s diet but still healthy. Around Christmas time, however, healthy went out the window a bit, and she would bake the cookies and treats that her mother had made in Switzerland. This bread is to be baked for January 6, Three Kings Day. My mother would hide an almond in one of the pieces of dough, and whoever found the almond is his/her piece was king or queen for the day. It’s a tradition that I continue with my family today.”
Recipe of Three Kings Day Bread
Ingredients:
50 g butter
2.5 dl milk
500g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1 package yeast
1 egg, whisked
100 g raisins
Egg, sugar and almond flakes to decorate
Melt butter and milk together in a pan and whisk. Set aside to cool until lukewarm.
Mix together in a bowl the flour, salt (leave out if butter is salted), sugar and yeast. Make a well in the center and pour in the butter/milk mixture. Add egg and knead dough, 5 minutes if using kitchen machine, 10 minutes by hand. Place in bowl and cover, allow to rise to double size (30-60 minutes).
Line round, loose-bottomed cake pan with baking parchment and grease sides of pan. Scrape dough out of the bowl, knock back and cut into four pieces. Form one piece into a ball and place into center of pan. Cut the other three quarters into two pieces each, roll each piece into a ball and place around the center ball in the baking pan.
Cover and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. Whisk an egg with a bit of milk and brush over the bread. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of coarse sugar and then sprinkle almond flakes.
Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes
