Mardi Gras Braided Bread & King Cake Donuts

Mardi Gras calls for baking with abandon, and this festive pair answers gladly: a filled, braided bread glazed and sprinkled in Carnival colors, alongside a batch of king cake donuts to match. Together they turn a kitchen into a celebration, all purple, green, and gold, sweet and yeasted and joyful. Whether you are throwing a proper Fat Tuesday party or simply love an excuse to bake something festive, this spread brings the spirit of the season right to your table.

The Braided Bread

Mix and prove the enriched dough, fill it, and braid it into a handsome loaf before glazing. The braiding looks impressive but is simply patient work — a well-proofed dough shapes easily, and the filled, braided loaf bakes up soft and festive, ready for its colorful glaze.

The King Cake Donuts

Fry the yeasted donut dough until golden and puffed, then glaze and sprinkle them in the traditional Carnival colors to match the bread. Fried fresh and glazed while warm, they are pillowy and celebratory — a playful companion to the braided loaf and a joyful centerpiece in their own right.

Jorj Morgan

Mardi Gras Braided Bread & King Cake Donuts

A definitive guide to enriched yeast dough, featuring the braided Mardi Gras Bread with a sweet cream cheese filling, and impossibly fluffy Heirloom King Cake Donuts.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 18

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

The Mardi Gras Bread

• 2 envelopes active dry yeast about 4 1/2 teaspoons
• 5 1/2 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup warm water plus 1 1/2 cups more

The Bread Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon dried grated lemon peel

The Bread Glaze & Sprinkles

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sprinkles purple, green, and gold sprinkles

The Donut Dough - Dry Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

The Donut Dough - Wet & Frying

• 1 cup milk room temperature
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil for frying

The Donut Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
• 6 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Purple green, and gold sprinkles

Equipment

• 1 Standard 9x5-inch metal loaf pan
• 1 Heavy-duty wire cooling rack
• 1 Parchment paper roll
• 1 Heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet
• 1 Heavy-bottomed saucepan

Method

 

WPRM Data - Introduction

1. STEP 3: WP RECIPE MAKER (WPRM) DATA
2. Here is the strict single-line formatted data for your WP Recipe Maker bulk-add tool. I have successfully engineered this colossal Masterclass recipe block to include the complete data for both the majestic Mardi Gras Bread and the impossibly fluffy Heirloom King Cake Donuts.
3. (Note: The Carnival Cookie Remix will be beautifully woven into the main HTML body as an Estate Bakery pro-tip, utilizing the exact wording from the Shopify masterclass).

WPRM Data - Recipe Details

1. General:
2. Recipe Name: Carnival Baking Masterclass
3. Summary: A definitive guide to enriched yeast dough, featuring the classic braided Mardi Gras Bread with a sweet cream cheese filling, and impossibly fluffy Heirloom King Cake Donuts.
4. Prep Time: 45
5. Cook Time: 40
6. Course: Baking, Dessert, Breakfast
7. Servings: 18
8. Ingredients:

The Mardi Gras Bread

1. 2 envelopes active dry yeast (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
2. 5 1/2 cups bread flour
3. 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4. 1 tablespoon kosher salt
5. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
6. 1/2 cup warm water (plus 1 1/2 cups more)

The Bread Filling & Glaze

1. 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3. 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4. 1 large egg
5. 1/2 teaspoon dried grated lemon peel
6. 2 cups confectioners' sugar
7. 1/4 cup buttermilk
8. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9. Purple, green, and gold sprinkles

The Heirloom King Cake Donuts

1. 3 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3. 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or instant)
4. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6. 1 cup milk, room temperature
7. 2 tablespoons butter, melted
8. 1 large egg
9. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10. Vegetable oil, for frying

The Donut Glaze Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2. 6 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4. Purple, green, and gold sprinkles

The Donut Dough Prep

1. Instructions:
2. Making the Bread Dough
3. Stir the 2 envelopes of yeast in a bowl with 1/2 cup warm water and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
4. Place the bread flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
5. With the motor on low, add the yeast mixture and 1 1/2 cups more warm water, then increase speed and mix for 5 to 8 minutes.
6. Add the 3 tablespoons of room temperature butter a bit at a time, mixing until the dough is tight and shiny, about 8 to 10 minutes more.
7. Knead on a work surface for 2 minutes, form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Filling and Baking the Bread

1. Beat the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, egg, and lemon peel in a mixer until combined.
2. Divide the risen bread dough in half, pressing each into a 10x6-inch rectangle, and spread half the filling over each.
3. Roll each rectangle jelly-roll style, place into two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans, cover, and let rise again until 1/2-inch from the top, about 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until deeply golden, about 35 to 40 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Whisk the 2 cups confectioners' sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla extract, drizzle over the cooled bread, and top with sprinkles.

Making the Bread Dough

1. Place the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, yeast, kosher salt, and nutmeg into a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment.
2. Whisk the milk, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract together, pour into the dry ingredients, and mix until the dough just comes together.
3. Rest the dough for 5 minutes, switch to a dough hook, and beat until it pulls away from the sides, about 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Transfer to an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Frying and Glazing the Donuts

1. Roll the risen donut dough on a floured surface, cut out rings with a donut cutter, place on parchment, and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
2. Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a deep pot and fry the donuts in small batches until golden on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes total.
3. Transfer the fried donuts to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain.
4. Whisk the sifted confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla extract together, dip warm donuts into the glaze, and immediately douse with sprinkles.