Ingredients

• 18 oz all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 – 1 2/3 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 oz butter, melted and cooled off
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp shaved almonds
• coarse sugar
• 1  little king figurine or 1 dry bean

Directions

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Form a basin in the center.Heat the milk until hand warm. Dilute the the yeast into a little bit of the milk.
2. Pour milk, milk and yeast mix plus butter into the flour basin.
3. Knead until the dough is soft and smooth. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature until the size has doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Knead the dough again and let rest for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Cut off 1/4 of the dough and shape into a ball. Put onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Divide the rest of the dough into 8 same sized balls, hiding the king or bean in one of them.
6. Place the balls around the center piece. Cover with a wet kitchen towel and let rest 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, the rack in the middle of the oven.
7. Mix the egg yolk with the milk and baste the whole cake. Garnish with almond shavings and coarse sugar.
8. Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.
9. If you want to bake the version with golden raisins: Soak 3.5 oz golden raisins in hot water during 1 hour. Knead them into the dough after it has rested the first time, before the second rest period.
10. Finish the cake as described above.