Rosca de Reyes, Three Kings bread
A big orange scented wreath of sweet bread with candied fruit and a hidden surprise, made for 6 January.
- Time3 hr 30
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £0.39 a head
- Oven180°C (160°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Mix the bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt and orange zest. Add the eggs, milk and orange blossom water and stir to a rough dough.
- 2
Knead in the soft butter bit by bit, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave for 1 hour 15 minutes in a warm place, until doubled.
75 min - 3
Make the stripe paste: beat the stripe butter, icing sugar and vanilla, then work in the plain flour and egg yolk to a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag or bag with the corner snipped.
- 4
Shape the dough into a long sausage and join the ends to make a ring on a large lined baking tray. Tuck the dried bean in from underneath. Cover and leave for 1 hour until puffy.
60 min - 5
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Brush the ring with beaten egg. Pipe stripes of paste across it and decorate with candied peel and cherries. Sprinkle with sugar.
- 6
Bake for 30 minutes, until deep golden and hollow sounding. Cool on a rack. Tell everyone there is a bean inside and cut carefully. Whoever finds it hosts the party on 2 February.
30 min
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.