The twisted roll of Kings

Each six of January, and like finishing touch of the Christmas celebrations, anything better than to taste a traditional Twisted roll of Kings. But, beyond its delicious flavor and its colorful aspect, which more flame the attention of this candy is the surprise that keeps in its interior. To finds who it, the tradition augurs a year of good luck and, at the moment, “king by a day” will be proclaimed, although he will be called on to pay the candy to him, unless the twisted roll also takes bean, and then will have to pay the twisted roll that finds this one.

1. What is the twisted roll of Kings?
2. A candy of Roman origin
3. The Christianisation of this tradition
4. Like making a homemade twisted roll
4.1. Ingredients
4.2. Way of elaboration
5. Some advice

1. What is the twisted roll of Kings?

Twisted roll of Kings. A traditional candy in the celebration of the Epiphany.

The twisted roll of Kings is a candy made basically with a mixture of flour, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, leavening, water of orange blossom and ralladura of orange and lemon.

One appears in the form of pastelera cream or chocolate, cream ring, optionally stuffed, and is splashed of pieces of confitadas fruits of showy colors, that symbolize the precious stones that adorned the layers of Kings Magos.

In their interior small gifts usually are placed, sometimes along with a bean.

2. A candy of Roman origin

In spite of its name, this candy has a pagan and somewhat uncertain origin, object of controversy for the students of the subject. Many historians center the origin of the tradition in the days of the Roman Empire.

The Romans took care of the laws of the time and, in the days of winter, they celebrated one of his more popular festivals: the Saturnales. These celebrations, in honor to Saturn, “God of Agriculture”, took place from the 17 – main day of the celebrations to the 23 of December, whereas the 25 of December (almost agreeing with the winter solstice) celebrated the day of the “celebration of the Sun”, commemorating the birth of Mitra.

During the saturnales, the lectisternium or public banquet in honor of the God was custom, and the streets filled of bullicio. There are some who aim that, in those days, a bean in a place of the house or between the crumb of the bread existed the hide-and-seek custom. The slave found who it was awarded with the freedom during the days that the celebration lasted. They were days of excesses in the food and the drink, in which its world became from the reverse. The gentlemen served the slaves and the slaves exerted of gentlemen.

These celebrations were united to the celebrations of January principles, to honor their God Jano, “God of the Doors, the beginnings and the end”. Both celebrations were, if the comparison, a species of Christmas and Carnaval is allowed at the same time, in which the Romans enjoyed how the hours of light were extended after the winter solstice.

There are historians who indicate the origin of the tradition of the twisted roll in like, in these days of January, was used to make done round cakes with figs, dates and honey that distributed between plebians and slaves. In their interior, the cakes kept a dry bean, prosperity signal, and the lucky person who found the vegetable, was acclaimed “king by a day”.

3. The Christianisation of this tradition

Time later, the catholic Church would manage to cristianizar those pagan celebrations, superposing the date of the Birth of Jesus to the winter solstice.

In century IV the Church institutionalized the day of Kings in the West.

During the Average Age, the tradition to eat the candy that kept the bean in its interior reappeared, and it became a Christian custom that soon extended by many countries of Europe. The protagonism of the celebration fell to smallest and the bean symbolized to the Boy Jesus and, according to other versions, the flight of the persecution of king Herodes.

But, without a doubt, where height reached his greater was in France, where the celebration of Him Roi of the Fave (the King of the Bean) was object of great celebrations in which a rich pie ate, in the form of spiral, known like “Gâteau du Roi” that hid in its interior a bean, emulating the old Roman tradition.

In Spain, he was king Felipe V who introduced east candy that, in a moment, became one of the most popular customs. That one twisted roll lacked symbolism, arrived at Spain without the bean that was replaced by a currency (doblón of gold), but also used to cover itself with caramelizadas fruits and it ate in the celebration of the Epiphany (6 of January).

At the moment, day 6 of January, many pastry shops of the country make this traditional candy and it does not turn out strange to see people tails hoping to buy it. Each pastelero teacher has his secret prescription and its form to elaborate it, although the basic ingredients continue being the same.

Now, the currency has been replaced by a little figure or another type of objects of diverse and, in many cases, not even it appears the bean. But, also, it continues being a very ingrained tradition in Spain and power to taste it the day of Kings, or in the breakfast or in the tea, it continues making the great and small delights of that they look for excited the surprise that it hides.

4. Like making a homemade twisted roll

4.1. Ingredients

. – 500 grams of flour, if possible force flour
. – 1 milk glass and means
. – 3 eggs
. – 25 grams of pressed leavening
. – 100 grams of butter
. – 100 grams of sugar
. – 3 orange blossom water teaspoons
. – Ralladura of orange and lemon
. – 5 grams of salt (1 teaspoon)
. – Filleted Almonds
. – Confitadas Fruits

4.2. Way of elaboration

- To prepare the mass of leavening.
Milk glass is warmed up slightly half and the leavening unties very well in him, mixing. In a bowl 100 grams of flour are put about and it is little by little added milk with the leavening until forming a soft and homogenous mass. Next, it is covered with a clean cloth of kitchen and its volume is left in rest in a warm place and without currents, until double (approximately an hour and a half will take).

In order to prepare the mass it bases
In a great bowl the rest of the flour is put, previously sifted, and a hollow is made in center, as a a volcano.

Next, one adds remaining milk glass the beaten, eggs, the sugar, the salt, the ralladura of orange and lemon, and the water of orange blossom. All the ingredients are mixed well until securing a homogenous mass and later it goes to a surface dusted with flour. It is continued kneading the sufficient thing until securing a fine mass that one stretches with the help of a roller, for a side and another one, at the same time as is added butter little by little.

To bind both masses and to let rest
Once kneaded well, it is let rest. After a time, one becomes to knead a good short while, the mass stretches again and the first mass is gotten up already that was resting and will have risen. Together one is energetically kneaded all once again, so that they are ligatures well, and to secure therefore a fine and elastic mass. Next, the final mass is placed in a container and it is left in rest in a temperate site, protected by a cloth four hours, until it gets to double his size.

To give form and to hornear
Passed east time, form occurs to the twisted roll. The tray of the furnace with butter is greased and the twisted roll is placed above and it is let rest a little more. Meanwhile, the furnace to 200ºC is preheated, only using the resistance of down. An egg is fought and with the help of a brush all the surface of the twisted roll is painted. One dusts off with abundant sugar and one adorns with confitadas fruits, that become engraved well in the mass, and filleted almonds. Finally, the temperature of the furnace lowers until 180ºC, the tray with the twisted roll to average height of the same is placed, and it is let hornear during about 40 minutes, until it is gilded by and it is outside cooked in his interior. It is important not abrir the furnace until it is done because if would not lower the mass.

- To fill up
If it is wanted to fill up, once cold, part with taken care of by half and puts cream, chocolate, pastelera cream, hair of angel, etc. We do not have to forget to introduce the surprises here.

5. Some advice

The ideal is to use force flour. The force flours come from grains of small wheat, dry land, grain it last. They are characterized for being very rich in gluten and to contain many proteins. Usually they are not in the supermarkets, although yes it is possible to be bought in bakeries.

If flour in house is had and not it knows of what type it is, the form to know it is to tighten it enters the hands. If nothing else to loosen one crumbles it, is of force; if during moments one stays compacts, she is loose.

The USA pressed leavening. For this type of candy pressed leavening must be used, nothing of dust leavening that is used for the elaboration of another type of sponge cakes. The pressed leavening is the one that is used commonly in bakery and baker’s shop, comes generally in blocks and, with her, an end item is obtained much more uniforms. It can be obtained in the bakeries.

It respects the times of rest. It is very important to leave mass it rests the advisable time before hornear them so that the twisted roll is spongy and in its point.

If it interests, divides the mass to you. At the time of giving form to the twisted roll, it is possible to be divided the mass in two or three balls and to be made two or three twisted rolls smaller. This way, different fillings could be tried: one stuffed one with cream, another one with chocolate, another one with pastelera cream, etc. according to the taste of the companions at table.