11d • Recipes
🎭 NEW IN THE RECIPE PANTRY: King Cake — Yeasted & Sourdough Versions
Mardi Gras is coming, and I just dropped a recipe I've been working on for a while.
This isn't your grocery store king cake. This is the real deal — pillowy, buttery, stays soft for days, with a brown butter praline filling that'll make you wonder why you ever settled for the box stuff.
Both versions are live now: 🔗 https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/king-cake?variant=yeasted
Here's what makes this one different:
✦ TANGZHONG (Water Roux) That Japanese milk bread technique? We're using it here. Pre-cooking some of the flour creates a paste that traps moisture, keeping your king cake soft and tender for days, not hours.
✦ BROWN BUTTER EVERYTHING The filling. The icing. Both get brown butter treatment. That nutty depth transforms this from ordinary to extraordinary.
✦ THE DONG PHUONG SECRET If you know New Orleans bakeries, you know Dong Phuong makes the king cake everyone fights over. Their secret? Brushing the hot cake with heavy cream the moment it comes out of the oven. Locks in moisture like nothing else. I stole it. Now you can too.
✦ TWO VERSIONS Same great result, your choice of leavening:
- Yeasted version: Overnight cold proof, ready Day 2
- Sourdough version: Same timeline, deeper flavor
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📄 ABOUT THAT PDF...
For those who want to work from a printed recipe, hit the "Print Version" button on the recipe page. You'll get a beautifully formatted PDF with:
- Clean, readable layout
- All measurements (metric AND volume)
- Step-by-step instructions without the scrolling
- Equipment list
- Troubleshooting notes
- No ads, no popups, no distractions
Just you, the recipe, and your kitchen.
Print it. Tape it to your cabinet. Get flour on it. That's what it's for.
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🎨 THE COLORS MATTER
Purple = Justice Gold = Power Green = Faith
These aren't random. They've been the official Mardi Gras colors since 1872. Sanding sugar works best — more sparkle, better texture. In a pinch, you can tint regular granulated sugar with food coloring, but sanding sugar is worth finding.
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📖 A LITTLE HISTORY
King cake didn't start in New Orleans. It began in medieval France as the Galette des Rois — puff pastry with frangipane, served on Epiphany (January 6th, Three Kings Day). French colonists brought it to Louisiana in the 1700s, and like everything else in New Orleans, it evolved into something entirely its own.
Puff pastry became brioche. Almond filling became cinnamon sugar. Plain glaze became purple, green, and gold.
That's the beautiful thing about bread traditions. They travel. They adapt. They become something new while honoring what came before.
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👶 THE BABY
Yes, there's a plastic baby hidden inside. Whoever finds it has to bring the next king cake. That's the rule. Has been for generations.
Tuck it into the bottom of the dough after shaping so no one can cheat by looking for the bump.
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If you make this, tag me. I want to see your purple, green, and gold.
Laissez les bons temps rouler.
— Henry
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🎭 NEW IN THE RECIPE PANTRY: King Cake — Yeasted & Sourdough Versions
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