Bolo Rei is one of the most typical Portuguese sweets, that has a very long tradition. Its history, according to the legend, dates from over 2000 years ago. Find out how to make it at home!

Ingredients:

  • 175 g mixed, candied fruits
  • 100 ml Porto wine
  • 100 ml warm water
  • 30 g baker's yeast
  • 750 g flour
  • 150 g margarine
  • 5 medium size eggs
  • 1 lemon zest
  • 1 orange zest
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100 g pine nuts
  • 100 g walnuts
  • 100 g almonds
  • 100 g raisins
  • 50 g powdered sugar

Directions:

Phase 1:

  1. chop candied fruits and nuts (leave some apart for the decoration of Bolo Rei)
  2. take a bowl and put mix fruits into
  3. pour Porto wine over chopped fruits and soak them

Phase 2:

  1. take another bowl and put yeasts
  2. add warm water and dissolve yeasts in it
  3. add 1 cup of flour to yeasts and mix it well
  4. use cling foil to cover the bowl with yeasts mixed with flour, leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes

Phase 3:

  1. take another bowl and mix margarine with sugar
  2. add 4 eggs and white from the fifth to the mixture of margarine with sugar
  3. add lemon and orange zest to eggs with margarine and sugar
  4. add to it fermented yeasts
  5. add the remaining flour and salt
  6. mix the dough well (knead it till the moment you get an elastic and homogenous mixture)
  7. add soaked, candied fruits and knead it again

Phase 4:

  1. chop the remaining part of candied fruits and leave apart
  2. form a ball from the dough and sprinkle with flour
  3. cover with cling foil and leave for 3 hours to let it double the volume

Phase 5:

  1. form wreath from the dough
  2. put baking paper on the oven plate
  3. preheat the oven up to 180º C
  4. in the meantime, beat the yolk and spread it over the wreath
  5. décor the dough with remaining, chopped fruits
  6. put powdered sugar in three heaps on the dough
  7. when the oven reaches 180º C, put your Bolo Rei into and bake for about 35 – 45 minutes
  8. after that time, let it cool down before serving
  9. cut into 15 slices

Bom apetite!

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