“Bread of the Dead”
As promised, here’s Part 2 of Mexico’s weekend bake. Pan de Muerto summarizes the celebration of Día de los Muertos. It includes the bones to represent us all at death and our loved ones who’ve passed on from this life. And, of course, it is food from which smells and tastes evoke many memories from childhood, recent experiences, and people in our lives past and present.
Origins of Pan de Muerto: While there are multiple stories about its true origins, it seems the Spanish are the ones who contributed the recipe and reason. For the catholic celebration of “All Souls Day” (November 2), the Spanish would (still do) visit graves of loved ones and leave a sweet bread (like Pan de Muerto), flowers, and candles lit so the dead could find their way. This tradition influenced the Pan de Muerto of today. The round shape represents the body, the bone-shaped ovals across the bread represent the body’s bones, and the round ball on the top represents the skull. Today, it can still be left at cemeteries and/or enjoyed en familia to remember the past.
Pan de Muerto (recipe linked) is a rich, buttery sweet bread normally enjoyed with Mexican hot chocolate. The recipe I followed incorporated anise seed, orange zest, and an orange glaze on top. Thanks to The Spruce Eats for the recipe.
Pan de Muerto…
Everything you need to make the bread…
Butter and dry ingredients…
This order seemed a bit odd to me since in other breads I’ve made, I mixed or added the butter with the liquids.
Liquid ingredients and orange zest in separate bowl…
And it’s a party… all together…
And we knead, adding more flour as necessary…
Such a pretty ball of dough! 😊 Notice the seeds and orange zest.
Back in the bowl, after about an hour, and it has risen…
Removed about a ¼ of the dough and shaped into 2 lines of bones and a round ball for a skull
Everything together and ready for the 2nd rise…
And it has risen… a little lopsided, though… oops!! What will happen in the oven?
Fresh out of the oven. Well, the lopsided dough produced lopsided bread.
Cooled loaf with an orange sugar glaze brushed on top…
THE result
Mexican Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muerto)
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 4 oz butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp anise seed
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 cups bread flour or all purpose divided
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup warm water ~110°F / 43°C
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 2 (¼oz) packets instant dry yeast or 4⅓ tsp
Sweet Orange Glaze Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice from zested oranges
Instructions
Dough Directions
- Combine butter, sugar, anise seed, salt, and ⅓ cup flour in a bowl of a standing mixer (or a regular mixing bowl mixing by hand) and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and orange zest.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture alternating with a ½ cup flour and mix well.
- Add the yeast and another ½ cup flour mixing until combined.
- Add the remaining flour slowly, 1 cup at a time until dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly sprayed bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel for an 1 hour 30 minutes (dough should double in size)
- Remove dough from bowl and deflate.
- Separate about ¼ of the dough and use it to make 2 long bone shapes to drape across the loaf and a round ball to place on top.
- Shape the rest of the dough into a flat-bottomed semi-sphere. Position the bone shapes over the top of the loaf and press gently, so they adhere to the loaf. Add the round ball to the top of the criss-crossed bones.
- Allow dough to rise an additional hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F during the last 15 minutes of the rise.
- Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes. (The internal temperature should be about 190°F / 88°C).
- Cool completely and brush on the sweet orange glaze.
- Sprinkle sugar (colored, pulverized, or superfine) on top of the glaze.
Sweet Orange Glaze Directions
- In a small saucepan, whisk 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Bring the mixture to boil and remove from heat.
- Cool completely and brush on cooled bread
Video
Notes
My process thoughts…
- I was not accustomed in bread making to add 6 cups of flour ½ cup at a time. I’m not sure that’s necessary since other similar breads I’ve made were not that divided.
- I had no anise seed and did not want to buy another spice/herb; I have a cabinet with way too many anyway. Since I discovered that caraway is a good sub… why not.
- The recipe did not call for much kneading. This bread is somewhat sweet, but the gluten should still be developed. I ended up kneading it in the mixer anyway.
- I forgot to add some pulverized sugar after glazing it, still looks nice.
Final comments on the Pan de Muerto… Yummy, yummy, yummy! The bread was sweet like brioche. The orange zest and glaze certainly added a bit of tang. I used caraway seeds in place of anise seed, but there are recipes without the seeds, too. I had leftover orange glaze, so we are using that for a dip or spread on the bread… yes, please!
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I continue to move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture. Stay tuned to preview Friday for clues to next weekend’s bake.