Dreikoenigskuchen. Three kings cake.

Category: Yeast bread

Kitchen: german

Ingredients
Wheat flour	500 gr.
Butter	60 gr.
Sugar	100 g
Salt	1 tsp
Fresh yeast	20 gr.
Egg	1 PC.
Milk	250 ml.
Raisins	80 gr.
Additionally (differs in different regions):
lemon / orange zest	taste
orange juice
spices - cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and others
For coating:
Yolk	1 PC
Milk	1 tbsp. l.
For sprinkling:
Almond petals	50-100gr
For decoration:
Golden crown	1 PC.
Pearl sugar	1 tbsp. l.

Cooking method

January 6 - Day of the Three Magi - Dreikönigstag
Christmas square in Germany
On the 12th day after Christmas, January 6, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and a number of other Catholic countries celebrate the Day of the Three Wise Men or Three Kings. Protestants sometimes call it the "Great New Year" (Großneujahr).
The holiday is based on a biblical plot from the New Testament: the story of the journey of three kings-magi - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar - from the Middle East behind the star of Bethlehem, indicated by the angelic choir. The star that they saw in the east walked in front of them, and finally stopped over the place where the Baby Jesus was. Finding the baby Jesus and His Mother Mary lying in the manger, the Magi bowed down and presented rich gifts: gold (as to the King), incense (as to God) and fragrant resin - myrrh (as to a person). The three wise men symbolize the representatives of the pagan peoples whom God called into his kingdom, having shown them the birth of the Savior. According to legend, the wise men, having returned from Bethlehem to their native places, were baptized and began to proclaim to the nations about Jesus Christ. As pious Christians, the wise men not only preached the Gospel in the East, but also built temples there in honor of Jesus. A legend has survived that tells that the Apostle Thomas ordained the Magi bishops. Having accepted martyrdom, they ended their earthly life at about the same time and were buried together. Their tomb was allegedly in the Persian city of Sava. Then, according to legend, the relics of the three wise men were found by St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helen and were first laid in Constantinople, from where they were then transferred to Mediolan (Milan). Later, by order of one of the German emperors, they were taken to Cologne, where they remain to this day.
The Gospel of Matthew also tells that shepherds or wise men from the East came to worship the infant Christ in Bethlehem, they are not called kings. Their number is not indicated in the Bible, but by the number of gifts the theologians concluded that there were three wise men (or wise men). Legends dating back to the 6th century turned the “wise men” into “eastern kings”, so in the western tradition they were called “holy kings”. In Germany, it is believed that for the first time the Magi were named kings by Saint Caesarea of Arelatsky (Arles, 470-543). Regarding the names (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar), it should be noted that they were given to the Magi by the apocryphal Gospels. The names of the kings symbolize three ages - Balthazar is an old man, Melchior is a husband, Kaspar is a young man.
The celebration of the Day of the Three Kings consists of attending a solemn mass. Theatrical folklore performances depicting the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem and the worship of their Divine Infant are held all over Germany near urban and rural churches. In each church, nativity scenes are decorated - a Christmas nursery, where famous Magi are present. On this day, the Cologne Cathedral of St. Peter and Our Lady, where the relics of the Magi are kept, becomes a place of mass pilgrimage for believers from all over Germany and from neighboring countries.The tradition of worshiping the relics of the Three Wise Men in Cologne dates back to the 12th – 13th centuries, when a large number of Christian relics, including the relics of the Magi, came to Europe as a result of the Crusades. In the Middle Ages, Cologne, according to the number of pilgrims who flocked here, was one of the most important pilgrimage cities in Western Europe. In this regard, in 1248, the cathedral chapter headed by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden decided to erect a new church building for the cathedral, corresponding to the dignity and importance of this pilgrimage center. On the front side of the precious reliquary with the relics of the Magi, there are motives of the Epiphany: "The Adoration of the Three Kings-Magi", "The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River" and "The Second Coming of Jesus Christ - Judge of the World." On the back side, in the lower tier, scenes of the scourging and Crucifixion of Christ are depicted, and above them is the scene of the coronation of Saints Felix and Narbor, whose relics also rest in the reliquary.
It should be noted that in Orthodoxy, the Kings-Magi were not officially canonized. In the Orthodox tradition, they did not even receive the names by which they are known to Western Christians.
After Mass, the Catholic family gathers for dinner. The meal should be as rich and plentiful as possible. The dishes are usually the same as those prepared for the New Year and Christmas holidays. A special cake of the Three Kings (Dreikönigskuchen) in the shape of a crown is served.
In Germany, another tradition is dedicated to this day - the “procession of the three kings”. Children dressed as three kings in white robes with crowns on their heads and a long pole crowned with a star walk with songs about the Star of Bethlehem (for which they are called "ssinger" - "star singers") from house to house, bless their owners and collect money for charitable needs. Most often, four people participate in the procession - three "kings" and a "star-bearer". The face of one of them may be smeared with soot - he depicts the sorcerer Melchior. The funds collected by the "kings" are usually used to help starving or homeless children. It should be noted that the citizens of Germany are quite willing to donate money to charitable needs. Last year, according to Deutsche Welle, the "star singers" raised an estimated $ 27 million. All this money went to support various humanitarian projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Since 1990, charity events with the participation of "star singers" have been organized by the Children's Charity Mission and the Association of German Catholic Youth.
According to a long-standing tradition, on January 6, the owner of the house writes in chalk at the entrance or on the door the initial letters of the names of the three wise men - C + M + B - and indicates the year. According to another version (C + M + B) means the Latin "Christus mansionem benedicat" ("God bless this house"). The Germans believe that such an inscription protects the dwelling and its inhabitants from all troubles. After all, according to legend, three magi kings could prevent the blows of fate and take all evil away from a person, his house and cattle. In the modern world, the abbreviations "C + M + B" are also interpreted jokingly. So in some places they mean "Coole Mädchen und Buben" (Cool girls and boys) or "Käse + Milch + Butter" (cheese + milk + bread).
In addition, on January 6, the Germans light a Christmas tree in the house for the last time and believe that after the holiday of the “three holy kings” daylight hours “increased by a cock's step”. On the Day of the Three Kings, there are other signs: “If the evening of the Day of the Three Wise Men is bright and clear, then the year will be good for winemaking” (Dreikönigsabend hell und klar, verspricht ein gutes Weinjahr) “If there was no winter before the Day of the Three Wise Men, then it it will never be ”(Ist bis Dreikönig kein Winter, folgt keiner dahinter).
January 6 is considered an official holiday in the states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt.
In addition, the three holy kings in Germany are revered as the patrons of tourists and travelers, which is why the names of many German hotels and hotels contain the names of the Magi.
So, Dreikönigskuchen is literally the cake of the three kings (magi).Epiphany cake (King Cake or King's Cake in England, Galette de Rois in France, Roscón de Reyes in Spain, Bolo Rei in Portugal) is a traditional holiday confection. It is baked by January 6 - the day of the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord). It symbolizes the gifts of the three wise men, which they presented to the infant Christ. This old custom was revived in the 1950s and is very common throughout Europe. In Baptism, wherever it takes place, there are general rules. The main one is Epiphany divination. Fortune-telling for Epiphany is almost everywhere, and everywhere fortune-telling is associated with food. These are pies, rolls, cakes, dumplings, pies with fillings. What kind of filling you pull out - such is the fate of the year awaiting you. Regional recipes vary greatly, but the common tradition for all is a small object that is hidden inside the cake. In Switzerland and Germany, it can be beans, almonds, a coin or a small figurine in the form of a king or a child. Anyone who finds this talisman while eating becomes a king or queen in his family for one day.
In Switzerland and Germany, the cake consists of a sweet dough that is laid in flower-shaped balls, decorated with almond petals and pearl sugar. Many residents do not bake this cake for Epiphany, but buy it ready-made together with a golden paper crown in supermarkets or bakeries. There is a small plastic figure of the king hidden in the store cakes.
In Germany, the baptismal cake is called the cake of the three kings (magi), which is baked in the form of a golden ring with orange filling, spices and incense. In western Germany and Sweden, they put jam in the pie, but for Epiphany they always put lemon zest in it and bake 7-9 buns on a baking sheet so that it is in the shape of a crown. Alternatively, the cake can be a traditional yeast bread with cardamom and crown-shaped icing.
The pie is delicious, aromatic, sweet and fluffy.
Let's start!
Heat the milk, add 2 tsp of sugar, yeast and butter from the refrigerator. While the yeast is dissolving, the oil will return to room temperature When the mass becomes frothy, sift the flour, add salt, sugar, egg, raisins and the chosen filler to taste (I have half a lemon zest, about 50 ml of orange juice and cardamom). Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, close and leave for 1 hour. We die and wait for the second approach, about 20-30 minutes.
We turn on the oven for 200 g of the upper and lower shades. We knead the dough again, dust the work surface with flour, dust the dough a little too, weigh (who has a scale) and divide the dough into 6-8 small balls and 1 large one. My dough stretched by 1.07kg. A larger ball usually has a weight of 300-350g, I made 300g, if we make 8 small balls, respectively, 95-90g, 6 small ones, 128-120 each. Well, or "by eye" we divide the dough. We form balls by lightly dusting them with flour. The dough is sticky. We put the balls in the shape of a flower on a greased and flour-dusted pan. We dilute the yolk with 1 tbsp. l. milk and grease the cake, sprinkle with almond petals. Letting the cake stand for 10-20 minutes, look at the rise of the dough. We put in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. I baked for 20 minutes. We take it out, cool it on the wire rack. Cut the crown out of gold foil / paper / wrapping film. Dress up the cake, sprinkle with pearl sugar. I could not find pearl sugar, I made a crystallized one))) In a cast-iron pan 2 tbsp. l. with a slide of white sugar, dilute 2 tbsp. l. water, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, first there will be a syrup, then it will become thicker (like molasses), and then it will begin to crystallize, we will slightly reduce the fire so that the color does not darken much, wait for the moment when it dries out in large formations and remove it from the fire.