Name: The Crown of the Kings of the Southwest
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 8 people
Cuisine: Southwest
Ingredients: 450 g ofwheat flour (T45); 200 g ofmilk; 30 g oforange blossom water; 2 stars ofstar anise; 90 g ofbutter; 60 g ofsugar; 1 egg; 25 g offresh baker's yeast; 1 teaspoon offine salt; 2 egg yolks; 2 tbsp ofsugar; powdered sugar; granulated sugar; bread maker

desserts cakes epiphany pastries traditional cuisine

Updated on 26 February 2026 by

lepetitfred

6 reviews 5 : Delicious

Cuisine

Southwest

Diet

Vegetarian

Level

Intermediate

Calories

226 pour 100g

Preparation

30 minutes

Cooking

30 minutes

Wait

2 hours 15

Here is my traditional, tried-and-true recipe for the King’s Crown (also known as the King’s Cake), just as it’s made for Epiphany in the south of France (particularly in the Southwest and Provence).

It’s a delicious brioche, shaped like a crown, flavored with orange blossom water, and sprinkled with sugar. This recipe is easier to make with a bread machine, which will knead the dough thoroughly.

And if you’re torn between the Couronne and the Galette des Rois, I recommend Hullubaloo’s recipe, which is easy to prepare and delicious. It’s up to you whether you want to celebrate the Epiphany the way they do south or north of the Garonne 🙂

Find all my recipes on my blog, Le Petit Fred.

For

people

Add to shopping list

For the brioche
450 g of wheat flour T45
200 g of milk
30 g of orange blossom water
2 stars of star anise
90 g of butter
60 g of sugar
1 egg
25 g of fresh baker's yeast
1 teaspoon of fine salt

For gilding and decoration
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp of sugar
powdered sugar
granulated sugar

Equipment
bread maker

1
Heat the mixture of milk and orange blossom water to 37°C
2
Add the star anise to the milk and orange blossom mixture.
3
Add the fresh yeast to the milk and orange blossom water mixture.
Let it rest for 15 minutes.
4
In the bread maker, add the following in this order:
- the milk and orange blossom water mixture,
- the flour,
- the salt,
- the sugar,
- the egg
5
Start the dough program (it takes 30 minutes for me).
After 23 minutes: add the cubed butter.
6
After 30 minutes, the program stops and the dough rises for 1 hour. Hide a small Three
Kings' Day bean inside it
7
After an hour, transfer the dough to a rum baba or savarin mold.
Let it rise for another 1 hour.
8
Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place it in the oven (which should be turned off) and preheat to 180°C.
9
Make an egg wash using 2 egg yolks and sugar.
After 17 minutes, remove the crown from the oven and brush it with the egg yolk and sugar mixture.
10
Sprinkle with granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
11
The crown is ready.
Enjoy your meal.