Rosca de Reyes (Sarenna and Kerrie)

photograph by James Hayes-Bohanan

         In Like Water for Chocolate Tita is the main character of the movie who is in love with Pedro. However she is not allowed to marry him and instead her mother decides that her sister, Rosaura will marry him. Throughout the entire movie Tita wishes she could be with Pedro. There is a scene where they are celebrating Christmas and Rosaura is asking Tita how to lose weight. It was at this time "…when [Tita] still believed that if she found the doll in the bread, all her wishes would miraculously come true…" (Esquivel 168) Tita was hoping for her wishes with Pedro to come true and it was her hope that this Rosca would allow all those wishes to come true. Rosca played the important role of providing hope for Tita just as it provides excitement for the children on Three Kings Day.  

          Ingredients

1/2 cup of warm water2 envelopes (4 1/2 t.) dry active yeast4 cups all purpose flour for dusting
1/2 c. sugar
3 large whole eggs
4 egg yolks
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 T. orange extract
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus more for bowl and plastic wrap
Freshly grated orange zest from one orange
1 egg yolk
3/4 c. all purpose flour
6 T. margarine
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
Dry fruit like figs, candied orange or cherries
1 egg, beaten for glazing
1 T. heavy cream or whole milk
White sugar to sprinkle on top of the bread
2 or 3 plastic baby dolls 

Ingredientes
½ taza de agua calientita (38°C que puedas meter el dedo y no te quemes) 
2 Sobres (4 ½ cucharaditas =14 gramos) de levadura seca activa 
4 tazas (20 onzas) de harina todo uso y adicional para enharinar 
½ taza de azúcar 
3 huevos grandes enteros 
4 yemas de huevo 
¼ de cucharadita de sal 
1 ½ cucharadas de esencia de naranja 
1 ½ barras de mantequilla, suavizada (6 onzas ó ¾ de taza)  y adicional para engrasar el tazón y el papel film 
Ralladura de una naranja fresca 
1 yema de huevo 
¾ de taza de harina todo uso 
6 cucharadas de mantequilla 
½ taza de azúcar para repostería 
Fruta seca como higos, naranja confitada y cerezas (tiras de ate verde y rojo) 
1 Huevo batido para glasear el pan 
1 Cucharada de crema entera o leche 
Azúcar blanca para espolvorear el pan por arriba 
2 ó 3 Niños Jesús 

          We started by mixing water and yeast with a fork in a bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes. After this foamed we added flour and let it rise for 25 minutes. While this was rising we mixed flour, eggs, sugar, orange extract, salt in butter in a bowl.  Then we mixed it with our hands until it was crumbly. Then we added the yeast mixture to this and kneaded it for another 15 minutes until it was smooth. We then let the dough rise for an hour and a half. While the dough was rising we added margarine and confectionary sugar to make a creamy mixture. Then added flour and eggs to make a paste. After this we formed the dough into a ring and let it rise for another 45 minutes. We then made an egg wash using cream and an egg. After the 45 minutes we brushed the ring with egg wash, added strips of the paste and added dried fruit to the top. We then baked it for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then reduced the heat to 350 for another 10 minutes until the bread was golden brown. We took it out of the oven and placed a green bean randomly in the dough. We then let the bread cool.

            The only deviation from the original recipe was that we did not use a plastic doll; instead we used a green bean. This was because we did not want the plastic to melt into the bread and potentially cause harm to the eater. We figured that a green bean would be very easy to find in the piece of bread and would not cause any harm.  

            Making the recipe was quite interesting. We learned how to zest an orange, which neither of us had done before. However it was quite easy after a quick YouTube search. Also with the help of YouTube we learned how to yoke an egg. Kerrie tried it first and failed miserably, so Sarenna gave it a try. She was successful and she yoked the eggs for the day. Lastly Kerrie learned how to knead dough and that worked out quite well.        

            Rosca is traditionally made in Mexico for Three Kings Day. This is the day when the Three Wise Men brought gifts to baby Jesus. "Traditionally, on the night of the sixth of January, the bread is sliced and the person who finds the doll hidden inside it is required to hold a celebration on the second of February, Candlemas day, when the Baby Jesus is removed from the Nativity scene." (Esquivel 174) Also on Candlemas day the children decorate baby Jesus in fine clothes and bring him to the church. The small doll that is placed in the bread is placed there to represent baby Jesus. The children look forward to this. Also in Mexico "…families start bringing their small gifts to the central square in a procession called a posada ten days before Christmas," (Roy 145)

                        This dish was a fun and interesting dish to make. It was quite simple to prepare and has a lot of history behind it that was very interesting to learn about.

Works Cited

Arau, Alfonso, dir. Like Water for Chocolate. Writ. Laura Esquivel. 1993. Film.

Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. 169-174. Print.

How to separate egg whites and egg yolks . 2009. Video. Youtube. Web. 5   Nov 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAGX-54iR30.

How to Juice Oranges : How to Zest an Orange for Juicing . 2008. Video. Youtube. Web. 5 Nov 2011.      

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRrGDtZOjQE.

Roy, Christian. "The Twelfth Day of Christmas." Traditional Festivals; A Multicultural Encyclopedia. 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print.

"Three Kings Bread Recipe, Receta de Rosca de Reyes." Mexico in My       Kitchen. Blogger, 1/4/2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2011.         <http://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2011/01/three-kings-bread-   

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