Vegan couronne des rois - Vegan Epiphany Brioche

Vegan couronne des rois - Vegan Epiphany Brioche 


 
          As I mentioned in my previous post for a vegan galette des rois, there are two types of cake traditionally eaten to celebrate Epiphany in France.  Toulousains like to eat one or the other every Sunday in January, a tradition I'm more than happy to keep up!


          This version is a brioche, lightly flavoured with orange blossom water, and candied fruits.  Whenever I eat a couronne, I decide I prefer it to the galette...but as soon as I'm eating galette I change my mind! 

          When warm, this is on the dense side, and very moist, but it dries as it cools into a more traditional brioche texture.  The bread itself isn't very sweet, so be sure to put plenty of candied fruit and sugar on top, so that every bite gets a bit of both.  Candied angelica, cherries, and citrus are all pretty common in these, but candied apricots or mango would make a nice twist!

         

Vegan couronne des rois - Vegan Epiphany Brioche 

Total time: 3 hours
Serves: makes 8 slices 

For the brioche

300g of flour (I used unbleached white)
50g granulated sugar
75g melted vegan margarine, plus 1 tbsp extra for brushing
3 tbsp chickpea flour
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp orange flower water (or 3 tsp, if you prefer a stronger flavour)
zest of one orange
1/4 cup chopped candied fruit of your choice (I used cherry) 
pinch of salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup warm water

For the topping

Candied fruit (I used 50g of angelica and 100g cherries)
1 tbsp jam/jelly of your choice
1 tsp vegan margarine
1 tsp water
granulated sugar

Add all the ingredients to your breadmaker in the recommended order, and set to a dough (no-bake) cycle.  Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in the center.  Mix the liquids together with 1/2 cup of water, and pour into the well.  Stir until a dough ball forms.  Add additional water if necessary to make the dough stick together (up to about a total of 3/4 cup).  The dough will not be very sticky at this point, and will seem quite dry to the touch.  Let this rise for 1 hour in a warm place (e.g. oven with light on) or until doubled in size.

Don't forget the fève!


Then, roll out the dough into a tube and wrap to form a large 'o' shape.  In France, couronne molds are available for this, or you could use a bundt cake pan, if you have one (either way, oil and flour it before putting the dough inside).  If, like me, you don't have any circular molds, you can simply place your ring on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper, and put something in the center, to make sure you keep a hole there.



Place back into the warm oven to rise for a further hour, or until doubled in size.  Boil some water and place in an oven-proof dish alongside the dough, to keep it moist while rising. Then preheat the oven to 160C/325F.


If you haven't used a mold, at this point you may want to gently press your fingers around the outside of the dough, to make it a bit taller.  Brush the ring with the extra tablespoon of melted margarine.  Place back into the preheated oven, with the water bath, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until well browned.

In a small bowl, heat the jam, teaspoon of margarine, and teaspoon of water, until spreadable. Then generously brush the brioche with this mixture.  Top with candied fruits and a sprinkle of granulated sugar.



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