The pantry-emptying tradition of Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, marks the high holy day of excess and indulgence. And while critical observers may view Bourbon Street intemperance as the opposite of Christian behavior, the traditional excesses are at least based on sound theology. In centuries long past, people gave everything up for Lent instead of one token sacrifice, as is the modern practice.Mardi Gras was the “use it or lose it” day to bake up cakes and sweets from all the eggs, butter, and sugar left in the larder. A festal pancake dinner is still traditional for many Christians on Shrove Tuesday. Lent is a time of deprivation and Mardi Gras is the last day of opportunity, so the theologically-oriented kitchen will create a party from anything that may offer too much temptation in the long Lenten weeks to come.
Full of eggs, sugar and butter, the King Cake isn’t a cake at all, but is a rich, sweet, eggy brioche dough, like a cinnamon roll, baked into a braided ring with a small plastic figurine hidden inside. It is decorated with royal icing in the colors of the Mardi Gras carnival: green, gold and purple, symbolizing rebirth, wealth and regal power. But the tradition goes back even further into history and into the liturgical calendar, to the beginning of the Carnival season, Epiphany, when the three Magi visited the Christ Child and his family in Bethlehem bringing gold, frankinsense and myhhr, three gifts befitting a king. Fat Tuesday is both an ending and a beginning, and the round ring of the King Cake symbolizes the eternal cycle of the Christian year.
The partygoer whose piece contains the symbol is crowned the King of the Carnival and is responsible for baking the King Cake next year. Of course, my friends impressively avoided the piece with the baby Jesus and once again I was once again named the King, which means the King Cake recipe stays with me for another year. And actually, I’m delighted, because it is so easy to make because I just use my cinnamon roll dough.
After the first rise, divide the dough into three equally-sized pieces, which I stretch into long ropes (each about one foot long). After a ten-minute rest, stretch each ropes to about eighteen inches and braid them together, tucking the ends together to form a circle. At this point, the baby Jesus figurine should be tucked inside the dough (a nut or dried bean is a good substitute). The second rise happens when the King Cake is on the baking sheet and the oven is preheating. Eggwash the puffy dough and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Full of eggs, sugar and butter, the King Cake isn’t a cake at all, but is a rich, sweet, eggy brioche dough, like a cinnamon roll, baked into a braided ring with a small plastic figurine hidden inside. It is decorated with royal icing in the colors of the Mardi Gras carnival: green, gold and purple, symbolizing rebirth, wealth and regal power. But the tradition goes back even further into history and into the liturgical calendar, to the beginning of the Carnival season, Epiphany, when the three Magi visited the Christ Child and his family in Bethlehem bringing gold, frankinsense and myhhr, three gifts befitting a king. Fat Tuesday is both an ending and a beginning, and the round ring of the King Cake symbolizes the eternal cycle of the Christian year.
The partygoer whose piece contains the symbol is crowned the King of the Carnival and is responsible for baking the King Cake next year. Of course, my friends impressively avoided the piece with the baby Jesus and once again I was once again named the King, which means the King Cake recipe stays with me for another year. And actually, I’m delighted, because it is so easy to make because I just use my cinnamon roll dough.
After the first rise, divide the dough into three equally-sized pieces, which I stretch into long ropes (each about one foot long). After a ten-minute rest, stretch each ropes to about eighteen inches and braid them together, tucking the ends together to form a circle. At this point, the baby Jesus figurine should be tucked inside the dough (a nut or dried bean is a good substitute). The second rise happens when the King Cake is on the baking sheet and the oven is preheating. Eggwash the puffy dough and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
I make challah from the same recipe and technique (one long braid instead of the ring) and sprinkle sesame seeds on the egg wash. This bread is amazing fresh, but if your loaf goes a little stale before you finish it, it makes incredible French toast. Speaking of French toast, the same dough in a cinnamon swirl variation makes is also wonderful.Cinnamon swirl bread can be made from the same cinnamon roll dough-- after the first rise, spread a half recipe of the dough to about 12-in x 12-in square, smear with softened butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (in equal amounts) and raisins if you'd like. 
Roll up and bake, seam side down and eggwashed, in a loaf pan after about a 45-minute second rise. From one recipe for cinnamon rolls, you can also make broche rolls, challah, cinnamon bread—all delicious options! You can also play around with the original recipe, adding toasted pecans, swapping some or all of the cinnamon for cardamom or using brown sugar instead of white sugar in the swirl.
