Ah what a shame not to have discovered this recipe earlier as an alternative to the galette! It must be said that this brioche typical of the south sprinkled with candied fruit and pearl sugar hadn't really made its way to my native Normandy. I discovered it on Instagram where it's just starting to compete with the galette (to the great pleasure of those who, like me, don't like frangipane). So to celebrate Epiphany anyway (since we have the whole month of January to do it) I'm proposing today a recipe for Kings' Crown!
Origin of the Kings' Crown:
As I was telling you, I didn't really know this recipe (also called Kings' Brioche) so I did some research. I didn't find a recipe that had unanimous agreement (everyone claiming to have the REAL recipe, a bit like Niçoise salad ^^). However, some common features emerged: orange blossom water and candied fruit in the brioche dough; pearl sugar and decorations on top. And of course a crown shape (to celebrate the god Saturn originally apparently).
Surprisingly, we find similar traditions in New Orleans and Mexico, perhaps an opportunity to expand further next year! For my part, I didn't add a bean but tradition dictates that just like for the galette, the youngest sits under the table to distribute the slices and whoever gets the bean provides the next cake.
Recipe choice:
After reflection I went with a classic brioche CAP style recipe (you'll find the whole process explained in the article or even more detailed in my ebook: 11 CAP techniques to master ALL your pastries). So today I'm going to focus on the small changes to turn a CAP brioche into a delicious Kings' Crown!
So first of all, know that CAP technical sheet proportions are quite enormous (500 g of flour for 300 g of liquid). So you can make 2 Kings' Crowns or as I did, one Kings' Crown and one brioche à tête that I froze right after shaping (I'll just need to take it out the day before morning for thawing + rising and baking for Sunday morning breakfast!).
Making the brioche dough:
So I made my brioche dough in the classic way by incorporating 2 tablespoons of orange blossom water into my beaten eggs (it's better to remove a little egg in this case to keep the same flour/liquid proportions). You can start by weighing your orange blossom water and complement with beaten eggs to reach 300 g of liquid (you can also add the yeast if you use rehydrated yeast which contains more water than dry).
Once the butter is well incorporated and the dough has started to come away from the bowl walls, I transferred it to another bowl. I then gave it a few folds because I felt my dough lacked body coming out of the mixer. To do this, once the dough is in the bowl, grab the underside of the dough with a dough scraper and fold the dough onto the opposite side.
Actually when you're facing your brioche, grab the underside of the North side to bring it to the South. Then turn your bowl a quarter turn and repeat (I have no idea if I'm being clear or not, let me know in the comments if I'm not). After 4 or 5 times your dough will be much firmer and easier to work with.
Rising and integration of candied fruit:
Then I let my dough rise at room temperature for one hour. Then I degassed it by giving it a few punches and put it in the fridge (to cool it down and make shaping easier). I then separated the dough into 2 pieces, shaped one into a brioche à tête that I froze immediately and incorporated the candied fruit into the other half.
For this I placed candied fruit in my dough that had been previously soaked in rum (you can take the girl out of the countryside but not the countryside out of the girl...). I should have, however, brushed them with flour to dry them well and avoid soaking my dough (which I therefore recommend!). Also don't forget to add a bean if you're putting one!
Then close the dough and reform a ball. With all these steps my dough had heated up a lot so I put it back in the fridge. Shaping into a crown isn't easy and it's much simpler if the dough is really really cold.
Shaping the Kings' Crown:
When it was cold again (about a good hour), I grabbed my ball and with a floured thumb I made a hole right in the middle (there are several techniques to make a crown but this is the one that spoke to me most). Then gradually I enlarged the hole by pulling on the dough. Two methods: either flat (that is, leaving the dough on the sheet) or using gravity (by spinning the dough between your hands in the air, the dough relaxes by itself under the effect of gravity). I did a mix of both and I was quite happy with the result:
I'd say the important thing is to take your time so the result is nice and even (although I find that after baking it wasn't as even as before and I'm a little disappointed with the final shape).
Then let it rise for two good hours (or more) in a turned-off oven with a bowl of boiling water to simulate a proofing box. When the dough has doubled in volume, brush with a very thin layer of beaten egg and it's ready for 40 minutes in the oven at 180°. When it comes out of the oven, brush with neutral glaze (or apricot jam) and decorate with pearl sugar and candied fruit.
And there you have it! A good Kings' Crown just waiting to be enjoyed!
Kings' Crown
