Name: Birdy’s King Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 24 rolls
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2 cups milk; ⅔ cup high-gluten flour; 4 cups milk; 4 cups high-gluten flour; 4 cups all-purpose flour; 8 tsp. yeast; 4 tsp. salt; ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 cup soft butter; ⅓ cup high-gluten flour; 1 tbsp. cinnamon; 1 tbsp. salt; 1½ cups brown sugar; 4 tbsp. unsalted butter; 1 tbsp. vanilla extract; ¼ lb. cream cheese; 14 tbsp. softened butter; 4 tbsp. milk; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 3 cups confectioners’ sugar; ½ tsp. salt; 3 cups granulated sugar; Purple, green, and gold (or yellow) food coloring

Last month, while most cities were boxing up their holiday decorations, New Orleans slipped seamlessly into its festive attire. During Carnival season, there’s hardly a terrace or street corner without a fleur-de-lis, strands of shining beads, or garlands in purple, green, and gold. At Birdy’s Behind the Bower, even the cinnamon rolls receive a carnival coating—a sweet nod to a beloved Mardi Gras tradition.

“It’s New Orleans—you’ve got a king cake on your counter for thirty days straight,” says Marcus Woodham, executive chef of the breakfast, brunch, and lunch spot in the Lower Garden District. “Someone’s always dropping off a king cake or bringing a king cake. They’re just everywhere.”

Filled with cinnamon sugar, coated in a tangy cream cheese icing, and sprinkled with a colorful sugar trifecta, the Birdy’s rolls make their way to tables to be sliced and shared, often becoming the star of glamorous brunch photographs along the way. Starting this week, they’re available daily through Lundi Gras (the Monday before Fat Tuesday).

If you can’t get to New Orleans this year, you can make your own at home. The secret to the signature chewy texture is the dough base. “In the beginning with the milk and the flour, you’re making a roux to some extent,” Woodham explains. “You just want to make sure that’s nice and thick and smooth”—a technique he recently put to the test in his own kitchen when making a batch with his daughter.

Asked how the rolls are best enjoyed, Woodham doesn’t hesitate. “With coffee is amazing. That’s the way to go.”

Birdy’s King Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 24 rolls

For the dough base

- 2 cups milk
- ⅔ cup high-gluten flour

For the dough

- 4 cups milk
- 4 cups high-gluten flour
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 8 tsp. yeast
- 4 tsp. salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup soft butter

For the filling

- ⅓ cup high-gluten flour
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

For the cream cheese frosting

- ¼ lb. cream cheese
- 14 tbsp. softened butter
- 4 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ tsp. salt

For the Mardi Gras sugar

- 3 cups granulated sugar
- Purple, green, and gold (or yellow) food coloring

Preparation

Create the dough base: Whisk milk and flour in a medium pot over heat until thick like a roux. Use a rubber spatula to scrape roux into a large mixer.
Make the dough: Add each ingredient individually into the mixing bowl on top of the roux. Mix with the dough hook attachment on speed 1 until incorporated. Increase to speed 2 and mix until you have a smooth dough, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Prepare a medium or large mixing bowl with pan spray. Use a bowl scraper to scoop dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic and leave to proof for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling: Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Melt butter and add to the bowl along with the vanilla. Use a gloved hand to combine; set aside.
Prepare the frosting: Gather all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine with a hand mixer.
Shape and bake rolls: Generously flour your work surface. Turn out the dough and flour the top.
Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a large rectangle, approximately 3 feet x 1 foot. Spread the filling on it by hand, leaving a couple of bare inches at the top of the rectangle.
Begin rolling the bottom of the rectangle onto itself longways. Pull tight between each roll as if you’re rolling a sleeping bag.
Cut into 24 even-sized rolls, and arrange them on two large parchment-lined sheet pans. Spray tops of rolls with pan spray and wrap loosely in plastic wrap to proof for up to one hour.
Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before frosting.
While rolls are baking, prepare sugar: Divide sugar evenly between three lidded containers, one for each color. Add two drops of food coloring into each container, and shake well to combine.
Decorate and serve: Plate the cinnamon rolls on a platter and sprinkle with Mardi Gras sugar in your desired pattern. Enjoy!