This Sparkling Brioche des Rois Is a Crown Fit for a King

Pearl sugar and candied fruits adorn this festive Epiphany dessert. (Audrey Le Goff)

In France, January is the month of the king’s galette—or, if you’re in Provence, the king’s brioche.

A sweet, citrus-perfumed brioche shaped into a crown and adorned with candied fruits and pearl sugar, this festive bread is traditionally enjoyed on Jan. 6 to celebrate the Epiphany. It’s lesser known than the galette des rois of northern France, another traditional Epiphany treat—but it shouldn’t be. One bite of its tender and buttery crumb, topped with crunchy and chewy bursts of sweetness, and you’ll understand why.

This bakery staple is easy to re-create at home, so you can partake in the tradition, including the best part: how to eat it.

The best part is serving the brioche—and seeing which guest gets the lucky slice. (Audrey Le Goff)

King for a Day

In France, Epiphany, known as “la fête des rois,” festivities often extend throughout the month. The Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus in Bethlehem but is now a widely popular celebration in the country.

The most popular tradition associated with the Epiphany in France is the king’s cake. As soon as January clocks in, the specialty can be found in virtually every French bakery. A small figurine called a “fève”—originally a dried bean, but now usually a small porcelain or plastic figurine—is hidden inside the cake. The person who finds the fève in his or her slice is crowned the king or queen for the day and often gets to wear a paper crown.

The cutting of the king’s cake is a festive moment, too. To ensure that the slices—one holding the lucky fève—are distributed randomly, tradition calls for the youngest person in the room to sit under the table and call out guests’ names to be served their portion. No cheating allowed!

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This is a very joyful and social occasion, and people may organize king’s cake events in schools, workplaces, and city halls, too.

Those little fèves are, for some French, highly collectible items. You will see them in most antique markets and stores in France. They come in many shapes (religious icons, celebrities, cartoon characters) and prices (some porcelain vintage fèves can be pretty pricy—up to thousands of dollars!). It has become common for bakeries to come up with their own lines of figurines each year.

A Regional Specialty

There are two kinds of king’s cakes to celebrate the Epiphany in France. The first one, known as a galette des rois, includes a creamy frangipane filling encased between two layers of puff pastry. This version is widely enjoyed in the northern part of France, including Paris, which makes it perhaps the most popular version in France.

As with many specialties from the southern part of France, the brioche des rois bears strong influences from Spain and Portugal, where they also celebrate with their own roscón de reyes. Spanish and Portuguese immigrants in the ’50s and ’60s brought their recipes with them to France, and they were adopted by the French over time. This version can be found under different names throughout the South, including brioche des rois in Provence, reiaume in Montpellier, corona bordalesa in Bordeaux, and coque des rois in Moissac.

Regardless of its name, the sweet brioche always features a tender crumb and is easily recognizable by its crown shape and candied fruit topping. And while it is not commonly found in North America, you can easily recreate your own version at home.

Tips for Success

The amount of time it takes for your dough to double in volume can vary greatly depending on the season, the yeast, and the ambient temperature in the room. It could take anywhere from one hour to three. Keep an eye on it and be patient.

The dough can be a bit sticky, but try your best not to add too much extra flour to the dough. Use just enough so that you can shape it and place it on the baking tray.

Place your baking tray in the bottom third (but not very bottom) of the oven; this helps ensure your brioche rises tall.

Brioche des Rois (King’s Brioche)

The making of this brioche requires two resting periods to allow the dough to rise, which totals 4 hours, so plan ahead if you would like to serve it by tea time.

While the kneading of the dough is easier in a stand mixer, this recipe is absolutely doable by hand, too—it’ll just take some elbow grease.

Pearl sugar is available in specialty stores, bulk stores, or online; or you can crush sugar cubes into coarse sprinkles for a rustic substitute. If you don’t have a French fève, use an almond instead.

Serves 8 to 10

For the Brioche

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 1/4 teaspoon (8 grams) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Egg Wash

• 1 egg 
• 1 tablespoon milk 

For Decorating

• 3 tablespoons pearl sugar (or crushed sugar cubes)
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• About 20 candied orange peel sticks
• 12 candied cherries

Warm up the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave until lukewarm (not hot, which will kill the yeast). Stir in the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes. Your yeast should foam.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest, and rub with your fingers so the zest releases moisture and the sugar becomes moist and lumpy. Whisk in the flour and salt.

Rub the citrus zest into the sugar to release its fragrance. (Audrey Le Goff)

Dig a well in the middle and add the eggs and the milk with yeast. Stir until all the flour is incorporated and you get a very sticky mixture. Add the cubed butter and knead for 10 minutes until all the butter is well incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and set aside in a draft-free environment for 2 to 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. The amount of time it takes can vary greatly depending on the season, the yeast, and the ambient temperature in the room, so keep an eye on it and be patient.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it in the middle to deflate it. Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface and shape into a ball. Transfer the dough ball onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Poke a hole in the middle of the ball with your index finger and enlarge the hole to form a crown. Do not hesitate to form a large hole (about 4 inches in width) in the middle, as its size will decrease when the crown bakes.

If you’re using a fève (or almond), stick it somewhere underneath the crown.

Pearl sugar adds sparkle and crunch; used crushed sugar cubes if you can't find it. (Audrey Le Goff)

Cover the crown with a cloth and let rise for 1 more hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack set in the bottom third of the oven (not the very bottom).

Whisk the egg yolk with the milk for the egg wash and brush it all over the crown. Sprinkle evenly with pearl sugar.

Bake the brioche for 30 minutes until it looks puffy and golden.

Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with the marmalade to give it a nice shine.

Brushing marmalade over the freshly baked brioche gives it a lovely shine. (Audrey Le Goff)

When the brioche has completely cooled, decorate it with the citrus peels and candied cherries.