King Cake Sweet Bread (Printable Version)

A festive, ring-shaped sweet bread with vibrant colored sugars and a hidden surprise inside.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3/4 cup warm milk (110°F)
02 - 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Filling

10 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
11 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

→ Icing & Decoration

13 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
15 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 - Purple, green, and gold colored sugars
17 - 1 plastic baby figurine (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm milk; let stand until frothy, 5 to 10 minutes.
02 - Combine flour, remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add softened butter, eggs, and yeast mixture. Mix to form dough.
03 - Knead dough on floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
04 - Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
05 - Punch down dough and roll into a 10 by 20 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over surface, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
06 - Roll dough tightly from long side into a log. Pinch seam and join ends to form ring. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
07 - Cover and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes until puffed. Preheat oven to 350°F.
08 - Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable.
10 - Drizzle icing over cooled bread. Immediately sprinkle colored sugars in alternating purple, green, and gold bands while icing is wet.
11 - Optionally insert plastic baby figurine into bottom of bread before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's a showstopper that looks far more complicated than it actually is, perfect for impressing people who think you're secretly a pastry chef.
  • The dough itself is forgiving and comforting to work with, almost therapeutic to knead and shape.
  • Every bite carries that delicate balance of spiced sweetness, soft crumb, and the fun anticipation of what might be hiding inside.
02 -
  • The milk temperature matters more than you'd think—110°F is the sweet spot where yeast thrives but doesn't die.
  • Don't skip the full rising time or your cake will be dense instead of tender, and that changes everything.
  • The icing needs to be drizzled while still wet so the colored sugar sticks; if it starts to set, you've lost your window.
03 -
  • Use a bench scraper or dough cutter when shaping the ring—it makes handling the sticky dough so much easier and keeps your hands cleaner.
  • If your kitchen is cold, let the dough rise in a turned-off oven with just the light on, or place it near (not on) a heating vent for steady warmth.
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