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What is Rosca de Reyes?

The Rosca de Reyes, or Kings Day Bread, is a traditional, orange-flavored bread that is adorned with dried fruit and that is primarily consumed around January 5th and 6th during the Kings Day celebrations. 

The main flavor profile is orange, which is infused into the bread by adding orange zest to the dough. That said, the flavor can vary and some people even fill it with sweetened cream cheese, jelly, caramel, chocolate or dried fruit. 

You will find Rosca de Reyes in every bakery throughout Mexico as Kings Day (or Dia de Los Reyes) approaches in January. They come in many different sizes and varieties as well.

The great thing is that people can add their own style and tastes to the decorations. For example, some people add figs, cherries, quince, citron, and even nuts! The only limit is your own imagination. 

Cutting and Sharing the Rosca de Reyes

One of the best parts about making a Rosca de Reyes is participating in the traditions that go with it. Inside of each Rosca de Reyes, the baker adds little white figurines, which represents the baby Jesus. *It is hard to find the traditional small white ones here in the US, but you can find some options here.* 

According to the tradition, whoever finds one of the figurines in the piece of Rosca that they cut, is obligated to make Tamales for everyone else to celebrate “Dia de la Candelaria”, which is another Mexican holiday celebrated on February 2nd. 

This is one of the best parts about sharing the Rosca de Reyes with your friends and families. It is so fun to watch everyone cut their piece, hoping that they don’t pull out the little white figurine!

If you do happen to pull it out though, we have you covered – click here for our savory tamales recipe and here for our sweet tamales recipe. 

Celebrating Dia de Los Reyes

As the tradition goes, on the Dia de Los Reyes (or King Day), we celebrate the arrival of the three wise men, who were guided by a star to receive the baby Jesus together with his mother Maria, and his father Joseph.

The wise men took three gifts, which were carefully selected and which had important meanings. The three gifts were Gold, Frankincense, and Myrhh. 

In Mexico, millions of little kids anxiously await the arrival of the three wise men after Christmas has passed, to receive gifts just like baby Jesus did after his birth. Those days are filled with magic and excitement and so many wonderful memories are created as a family.

You will see entire families participating in making the Rosca de Reyes, and then enjoying it together later with hot chocolate or atole. At the same time as this is going on, the little kids get ready for bed in eager anticipation of the gifts that they hope to receive. 

Without a doubt, it is one of the most beautiful and special traditions in Mexico. I remember picking grass from my great-grandparents’ yard to put in a shoe box so that the wise men could feed it to their animals after traveling such a long distance!

Of course, it was even more exciting to wake up the next day and see what they had left me inside that same shoe box! I miss those days of innocence, and of course, I am so excited to be able to share these traditions with my own kids and (in the future) grandkids!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and are able to have fun with this tradition that millions of people around the world hold so dear. 

Let me know how it turns out in the comments below!

Here are some other great traditional Mexican recipe you can serve on Kings Day

• Authentic Mexican Birria Recipe (3 Methods)
• Barbacoa Tacos
• Authentic Mexican Menudo Recipe
• Authentic Mole De Olla Recipe (Mexican Beef Soup)
• Traditional Mexican Tostadas
• The Best Mexican Style Baked Beef Empanadas

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Rosca de Reyes (Kings Day Bread)

Learn all of the steps for making a traditional Rosca de Reyes (Kings Day Bread) that everyone will enjoy for years to come. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword dia de reyes, holidays, rosca

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Pieces

Calories 375kcal

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 4 1/4 Cup Flour
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 5 Large Eggs (At Room Temperature) (One will be used as an egg wash to brush onto the Rosca before baking)
• 2 Egg Yolks At Room Temperature
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• Orange Zest from 1 1/2 large oranges
• 1 1/4 Bars Butter At Room Temperature
• Leavening Mixture From Below

For the Leavening Mixture

• 1/2 Cup Milk warm
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp Active Dry Yeast

For the Sugar Paste (Used To Decorate the Rosca)

• 1/2 Cup Butter At Room Temperature
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 Egg Yolk At Room Temperature

Decorations

• 1-5 Baby Jesus Figurines (Use more if you have more people so that they can work together on the tamales)
• Red or Green Cherries Optional
• Dried Figs Optional
• Red or Green Quince Paste Cut Into Long Strips (You can find this in the hispanic aisle at many grocery stores - look for "pasta de membrillo") Optional
• Candied Orange Peel Optional
• Granulated Sugar Optional
• Sugar Paste (Instructions Above)

Instructions

For the Leavening Mixture

• Add the sugar and the flour in a large bowl with the warm milk, and mix well until there are no lumps remaining. 
• Add the Active Dry Yeast and mix well with the other ingredients. 
• Put the bowl in a warm place and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes until it ferments and has doubled in size. Set aside to use for the dough. 

For the Sugar Paste

• Add all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well until completely integrated and a paste is formed. Set aside.
  

For the Dough

• Mix the flour, the sugar,  and the salt in a large bowl and mix well. Once completely mixed, remove the dough to a flat service and form a volcano shape (See image). 
  
• In the middle section of the dough, add 4 of the eggs and both egg yolks and mix together, adding a little bit of surrounding flour. Add the butter, the vanilla, the orange zest, and the leavening mixture from above, and mix well by hand. 
• The dough will be very sticky at first, but do not add more flour. Knead by hand for about 20 minutes until an even and smooth dough is formed. (The kneading process can be difficult, so if you don't have enough time, you can add the ingredients to a stand mixer after a few minutes and finish it there). 
• Once the dough is formed and kneaded, gather it into a large ball and place it in a large, pre-greased bowl. Add additional vegetable oil to the top of the ball so that it doesn't dry out. Cover with plastic wrap so that no air enters and let it rise for 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size. 
• Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it to a flat, floured surface, and knead into a long, even rope (see image above). 
• On the part of the dough rope that will be placed down on the baking sheet, insert the baby Jesus figurines. Make sure that they do not come out the top, since they need to be hidden when the Rosca is finished. 
• Once you have added the figurines, place the dough on a pre-greased baking sheet in a large circle or rectangular shape (see images). Let rise for one more hour. 
• Once the dough has risen for an hour, beat the remaining egg and brush it over the top of all of the dough. This will give the Rosca the shiny look after it has baked and it helps when adding the decorations prior to baking. 
• Take some of the sugar paste from the instructions above, flatten it and add it to different sections of the Rosca (see image). 
  
• Decorate as desired and bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. 

  Let cool and enjoy with hot chocolate or atole. 

Notes

The Baby Jesus Figurines can be hard to find outside of Mexico. I found them on E-Bay. If you can't find them, you can always just use some other item that is oven-safe. The important part is that there is something inside the bread that you can find. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Piece | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2.7mg

The post Rosca de Reyes Recipe (Kings Day Bread) appeared first on My Latina Table.

This Easy Pecan Atole Recipe only needs a few ingredients, is delicious, and is the perfect addition to your holiday traditions this year.

One thing that really took me by surprise when I moved to the United States from Mexico was the difference in holiday traditions. Christmas in Mexico is celebrated, but not as much as New Year. I love how we celebrated both of these holidays in Mexico, but I also have grown to really love all of the fun Christmas traditions that I now celebrate with my family here in the United States.

That said, I do love to incorporate as many of my traditions as possible also. For example, there are some very traditional recipes that are made in Mexico this time of year. One of those is today’s recipe for Pecan Atole. Atole is a thick, sweet, and warm drink that is prepared in Mexico throughout the year. You can make so many different varieties by changing up a few of the ingredients.

One common ingredient that you will need is La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk. This ingredient goes great with so many different Mexican recipes, and it is an absolute must to make this pecan atole. La Lechera is available at most stores in the United States and in Mexico and I always stock up on it for the many recipes that I make this time of year. You can find even more recipes using it at this link.

You will be surprised how good this tastes! The good think is that it doesn’t take too long to make, and you don’t need very many ingredients.

I always like to prepare this for my family on Christmas morning, and I haven’t had any complaints yet. 🙂

If you are looking for something new to add to your holiday menu, try this recipe as soon as possible and don’t forget to let me know how it turns out.

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Easy Pecan Atole Recipe

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 1 Liter of Milk
• 1 Can of La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 Can of Evaporated Milk
• 1 Cup of Pecans
• 6 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
• 1 Cup of Water
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla

Instructions

• Dissolve the cornstarch in the water.
• Add the pecan to 1 cup of milk and blend in a blender.
• Heat the rest of the milk along with the cinnamon stick and vanilla in a large pot.
• When the milk begins to boil, add the pecan-milk mixture and let boil for 3 minutes.
• Add the evaporated milk and La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk to the pot, stir, and let boil for 5 additional minutes.
• Add the cornstarch that was dissolved in water and stir until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Serve with freshly baked sweet bread or by itself.

The post Easy Pecan Atole Recipe appeared first on My Latina Table.

This Easy Turtle Cheesecake Recipe is a perfect option for the holidays, and you can make it so easily with the new Cheesecake Factory at Home™Cheesecake Mixes.

My husband and I like to go out to eat whenever we can, but having three young boys can make that kind of difficult. One of our favorite places to go is the Cheesecake Factory. They have so many delicious items on their menu – not to mention the delicious cheesecake!

Since we have a pretty busy schedule, we only make it there about once a year. Fortunately, we are able to eat some our favorite Cheesecake Factory meals at home now. I recently was introduced to these Cheesecake Factory at Home™ Cheesecake Mixes. Yes – you read that right – you can actually make Cheesecake Factory cheesecake at home! 

All you need to add to these mixes is cream cheese, and you are on your way to a delicious dessert! Now, these are all delicious on their own, but I always like to switch things up a little bit. That is why today I decided to use the Cheesecake Factory at Home Cheesecake Mixes to make an easy turtle cheesecake recipe.

After you have made the cheesecake per the package instructions, all you have to do is add the included salted caramel sauce, a chocolate sauce of your choice, and then top it with pecans. See! I told you it was easy. 🙂

This didn’t take me very long at all, and my whole family loved it. With the holidays coming up, it is a perfect time to try out this recipe. It is such a hectic time of year, so this is such a great way to make a dessert that everyone will love without spending all day in the kitchen.

You can find out more about the Cheesecake Factory at Home Cheesecake Mixes here. If you decide to try these out, please come back and let me know in the comments how it turned out for you.

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Easy Turtle Cheesecake Recipe

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 1 Cheesecake Factory at Home Salted Caramel Cheesecake Mix
• 1 Bar of Cream Cheese
• Melted Chocolate
• Chopped Pecans

Instructions

• Prepare the Cheesecake according to the package instructions.
• After it has cooled, spread the included salted caramel sauce over the top, and then add chocolate sauce.
• Add the chopped pecans.
• Drizzle additional chocolate sauce over the top.

The post Easy Turtle Cheesecake Recipe appeared first on My Latina Table.

Pineapple-Glazed Ham is a perfect addition to your holiday meal plan. It is easy to make and tastes amazing.

Pork + Pineapple may not be a flavor combination that everyone thinks of all the time, but it should be! Growing up in Mexico, one of my favorite dishes were the delicious Tacos Al Pastor, which consist of marinated pork, cooked with fresh pineapples and then topped with additional pineapple and salsa.

Today’s recipe is similar, in that it includes both pork, and pineapple. This pineapple-glazed ham is not what you would normally think of when you think of Mexican food, but I can assure you that it is popular there. It is something that most people don’t make often, but it shows up around the holidays every year.

I really think that pork is an underappreciated meat. It is so versatile, so delicious, and healthy too! I, for one, always look for great pork options when I go to restaurants. You can find many different recipes like this one by going to PorkBeInspired.com. You can also find local stores that have great cuts of pork at affordable prices.

Whether you are making a simple dinner using pork or a succulent pineapple-glazed ham for a holiday celebration, your family is going to be impressed. This particular recipe is very easy to make. You will create a homemade glaze using brown sugar, white wine, and pineapple juice (along with a few other ingredients). To give it even more flavor, you will add slices of sweet pineapple along the outside so that all of those delicious juices will be incorporated into the ham as it cooks.

I really hope that you give this recipe a shot this holiday season. You will not regret it and your family will be happy too! Check out the recipe below and let me know how it turns out.

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Pineapple-Glazed Ham

Pineapple-Glazed Ham is a perfect addition to your holiday meal plan. It is easy to make and tastes amazing. 

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 1 Ten Pound fully cooked spiral sliced ham
• 1 Stick of butter melted
• 1/2 Cup of White Cooking Wine
• 1/4 Cup of Pineapple Juice
• 1 1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 Can of Pineapple slices
• 1 Jar of Maraschino Cherries
• 10 Cloves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
• Place the ham in a large, deep baking pan
• Stick the Pineapple Slices and Cherries along the outside of the ham using toothpicks, until completely covered.
• Stick the cloves into the ham in the areas that are not covered by the pineapple and the cherries.
• Combine the brown sugar, the melted butter, the white wine, and the pineapple juice and mix until completely incorporated.
• Pour the above mixture over the ham.
• Top with aluminum paper and bake for 35 minutes.

The post Pineapple-Glazed Ham Recipe appeared first on My Latina Table.