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We are at the beginning of Dia De Los Muertos 💃 and I’ve been missing my great-aunt (almost grandma) a lot. Pan de muerto, or “bread of the dead”, is a recipe for sweet Mexican bread that symbolizes the cycle of life and death, and is central to the Day of the Dead holiday. So here is my recipe and this is for you my great-aunt Norma ♥️
Why You’ll Love Pan De Muerto
This bread is sweet, soft and rich. It has a very distinct taste between the orange 🍊 and anise flavors. It’s not too sweet, but just right. Every bite is filled with the memories of your loved ones, making it unforgettable.
How To Prepare Pan De Muerto
🥣 Add yeast to the warm milk with 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp sugar. Mix and activate for 5 minutes.
🥚 Mix your flour and sugar. Add the yeasty milk and then mix well. Next, add the eggs, mix until all the flour is incorporated. Add vanilla, anise, orange blossom water, orange zest and then mix. Add butter and salt. Mix with your hands & knead for 5-7 minutes. Let it rise in a warm place in a greased bowl covered in plastic wrap for 1 hour. If you are trying to find a warm place for your dough to rise, you can pop it in the oven (make sure it is off) with the light on.
🔪 Once it doubles in size, punch it and divide the dough in 5. Set 1/5 aside. Form the other 4 parts into a ball and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You’ll need 2 sheet trays to make this pan de muerto.
🔘 Mix in the tbsp of flour to the remaining dough, once again cut that into 5 parts. Cut 1 of those parts in 4 and form little rounds. Cut the other 4 in 2 and form your bones (see video).
🙅♀️ Place 2 bones per bread in an x pattern and top with the round one. This shape symbolizes the cycle of life and death, eternity, and the connection between life and death. Let them rise for 1 hour. Brush with egg wash, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
🧈 Brush your Pan De Muerto with melted butter and coat in sugar.
♥️ And that is it, subscribe for more!
Substitutions for Pan De Muerto Recipe
- If you can’t find orange blossom water, you can use regular water instead.
- Instead of vanilla bean paste, you can use vanilla extract.
- If you aren’t an anise fan, you can omit it or use cloves instead.
Variations for Pan De Muerto Recipe
- Chocolate Pan De Muerto: Add cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the dough. You can even also mix in chocolate chips for some extra indulgence.
- Stuffed Pan De Muerto: Fill the bread with cajeta, nutella or dulce de leche before baking for a sweet surprise.
- Cinnamon Sugar Pan De Muerto: Top with both cinnamon and sugar for a warm spiced crust.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
If you are trying to find a warm place for your dough to rise, you can pop it in the oven (make sure it is off) with the light on.
Recipes That Pair
Common Questions
This bread is slightly sweet with a soft pillowy texture. It has a very distinct taste with the orange and anise flavors, fragrant and subtly spiced. The sugar topping adds a slight crunch.
It will stay fresh 2-3 day in an airtight container at room temperature. Or you can freeze it for up to a month.
Certainly, you can leave it out or go check out my variations for some different ideas to replace it with.
Pan De Muerto Recipe
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- 1 large bowl
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 ¼ cup bread flour + 1 tbsp for the bones
- 10 ½ tbsp melted unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- ½ oz active dry yeast
- 1 orange, zest
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- ¼ tsp anise seeds
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add yeast to the warm milk with 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp sugar. Mix and activate for 5 minutes.
- Mix your flour and sugar. Add the yeasty milk and mix well. Add eggs, mix until all the flour is incorporated. Add vanilla, anise, orange blossom water and orange zest. Mix. Add butter and salt. Mix with your hands & knead for 5-7 minutes. Let it rise in a warm place in a greased bowl covered in plastic wrap for 1 hour.
- Once it doubles in size, punch it and divide the dough in 5. Set 1/5 aside. Form the other 4 parts into a ball and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You’ll need 2 sheet trays.
- Mix in the tbsp of flour to the remaining dough, once again cut that into 5 parts. Cut 1 of those parts in 4 and form little rounds. Cut the other 4 in 2, and form your bones (see video)
- Place 2 bones per bread in an x pattern and top with the round one. Let them rise again for 1 hour. Brush with egg wash, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
- Brush with melted butter and coat in sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
