Pan de Muerto 1I love, love, love Pan de muerto. It is definitely my favorite bread. In Mexico is very common to see it in every bakery, I think it’s a little overboard sometimes (for example yesterdat I went to a warehouse club, and they had like three pallets full of Pan de Muerto and they were selling it in the parking lot!)

Pan de muerto 5Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. If we were strictly traditional, those two days should be the only ones when Pan de Muerto should be eaten. But no. Now all the big supermarkets have Pan de Muerto since late August! I mean it is definitely a delicious bread but I think they exaggerate a little by selling it so soon.

Pan de muerto 4I like to bake it in my house. Its preparation is somewhat complicated but it tastes a thousand times better than the ones you can find out there. I’ve tried only two breads, from two different bakeries, that really were worth it. I supposed a lot of people doesn’t like orange flavor because most of the commercial breads don’t include this ingredient. My recipe has orange zest and orange blossom water that gives the bread a flavor mmmm … I can´t explain it, you have to try it!

Pan de Muerto 2

The shape of the pan de muerto is very important, supposedly the lines represent the bones of those who have died and the ball in the center represents the heart or skull. It is very common to see pan de muerto in the altares de muerto. I prefer to make tiny pan de muerto so that everyone has their own bread, also it is easier to share.

This saying exemplifies what pan de muerto means to Mexicans, it goes something like this:  “Take my soul, take my life, but my pan de muerto, not even a bite”.

Tiny Pan de Muerto
Yields 14
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For the yeast dough
  1. 1 packet instant yeast (11 gr/0.38 oz) or 21 gr (0.74 oz) fresh yeast
  2. ¼ cup warm milk
For the dough
  1. 500 gr (17.6 oz) bread flour
  2. 100 gr (3.5 oz) sugar
  3. ½ teaspoon salt
  4. Zest of 2 oranges
  5. 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  6. ¼ cup orange blossom water
  7. 200 gr (7 oz)butter, softened
Topping
  1. ¼ cup butter
  2. ¾ cup sugar
For the yeast dough
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk. Add 3 Tablespoons of bread flour. With a fork, mix until well blended, it must not be lumpy. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until it doubles its size, approximately 30 minutes.
For the dough
  1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix together the remaining flour, sugar and salt on low speed until well mixed. Add the orange zest and mix. Gradually add the eggs, the orange blossom water and the yeast dough. Mix until the dough starts to come together. On low speed, slowly add the butter. Increase the speed to medium – high and beat for 15 – 20 minutes until the dough comes off the sides of the bowl; the dough should be smooth, homogeneous and when stretching, it should be translucent and should not break easily. If it breaks easily, is missing beating time.
  2. Lightly oil a large bowl. Turn the dough out of the bowl, shape into a ball by tucking the edges of the dough underneath and then continuing to tuck the edges underneath until the dough naturally gathers into a ball with a tight surface. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl and sprinkle with flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm place (near the stove) for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
  3. After this time the dough will rise and it will feel a little loose. Punch down the dough and again shape into a ball by tucking the edges underneath. Transfer to the same oiled bowl, sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
  5. Punch down the dough. Cut off 17 pieces of dough (50 gr/1.7 oz each) about the size of a tennis ball. Reserve 3 of this balls, these will be the “bones” and the “skulls”. Shape the pieces on a lightly floured surface into 14 rounds, make sure the dough is compact. Place the dough rounds on two baking sheets and lightly flatten the tops with the palm of your hands.
  6. With the reserve dough, form 14 marble-size balls and leave on the baking sheets for later use. Divide the remaining dough into 28 pieces. Roll with your hands making strips the same width as the big dough rounds. Place 2 strips on top of each bread round, overlapping in the center.
  7. Let rise in a warm place until doubles in size, about 1/2 hour.
  8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
  9. Press slightly the reserved dough balls on top of each loave, where the strips meet. You can use a little of cold water as glue. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the dough has a golden color. Remove from the oven, put the topping while still warm.
For the topping
  1. Melt the butter and brush on the breads, being sure to brush all around the knobs. Sprinkle evenly with sugar all over the top.
  2. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. Serve with hot chocolate
Sweet Cannela https://www.sweetcannela.com/
Pan de muerto 6

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