House of Gumbo

Well....after three snowstorms, Bubba decided to use his Voodoo Mojo to stop the constant accumulation. We declared Mardi Gras and dared everyone to trek to the House of Gumbo. Lurlene usually bakes the King Cake for our Mardi Celebration but she gave me a lot of crap about having no ingredients. That left me searching the internet....that complicated series of tubes which brings info even during blizzard conditions...for a suitable recipe. Bubba hates for me to be in the kitchen as I can really stir up a mess but in I went to make a cake out of whatever we happened to have. So at Lurlene's request, here is the "Use What You Have in the House During a Snowstorm King Cake" recipe.

King Cake
Ingredients
• PASTRY:
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•
• FILLING:
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup melted butter
•
• FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons water

• Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 2 Tablespoons of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
• To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup raisins. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
• Roll dough out into large rectangle (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of the roll together to form an oval shaped ring. Place ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners' sugar blended with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.