Pan de Muerto

Pan de muerto with bones and tears decoration

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City/Region: Mexico

Time Period: 1938

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Like so many traditions and foods, Día de los Muertos and pan de muerto are amalgams of the traditions and foods that came before them, mainly Aztec and Spanish in this case. The practice of leaving food on graves and ofrendas, All Hallows’ Day, miccailhuitl (feast of the little dead) and hueymiccailhuitl (great feast of the dead), and European yeasted bread sweetened with sugar all contribute to Día de los Muertos and pan de muerto that we have today.

There are many different kinds of pan de muerto, and it is made into many different shapes. This recipe from 1938 is soft and pillowy on the inside with a healthy crust of sugar on the outside, and is flavored with orange and just a hint of anise. It’s really, really good. Definitely make this one!

“How to make:
- Dissolve the leavening in 8 tablespoonfuls of room temperature water, add flour to form a paste using some of the flour from the 500 grams and make a ball, grease and place near warmth until it doubles in size.
-Sift the flour with salt and sugar, mix the egg and yolks, orange blossom water, anis mixture, orange zest, butter and lard, knead well and once its soft, add in the fermented leavening, knead and hit until it blisters, cover in grease, place in a pan, and cover and leave in a room temperature spot for 6-12 hours until dough doubles in size.
-Knead again gently, and make balls the size that you want, place in them greased cans tins.
-Decorate with bones and tears which are made from the same dough, and stick with egg. When they are doubled in volume, the top ball is glued with egg.
-Bake in a 400 degree oven, once cold brush on glaze, dust with granulated sugar, and dust a second time with sugar after 5 minutes.

How to make the anis mixture:
-Cook a teaspoon of anise grains and 6 tablespoons of water, boil for 2 minutes.
-Remove the mixture, strain it and let cool.

How to make the sugar glaze:
-Dissolve flour in water, cook, and keep moving continuously until it reaches a consistency of thick cream.
-Remove from the flame and keep stirring, and once cooled apply glaze to the bread with a brush.”

— Repostería Selecta (Select Pastries) by Josefina Velázquez de León, 1938

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Ingredients:

Dough

• 500 g bread flour, divided
• 1/2 cup (90 ml) lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (14 g) dried yeast
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
• 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter
• 8 tablespoons (113 g) lard (you can also use all butter)
• 2 tablespoons of orange blossom water
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Decoration

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water, divided
• 1 tablespoon (7 1/2 g) flour
• Sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

1. Combine the dried yeast with 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm water and 1/2 cup (60 g) of the bread flour. Whisk together, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the anise seeds with 6 tablespoons (90 ml) water in a saucepan and set it over medium heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Strain out the seeds and set the water aside to cool.
3. Once the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the remaining flour along with the salt, sugar, orange zest, orange blossom water, cooled anise water, 2 eggs, and 5 yolks. Mix together by hand or with the paddle of a stand mixer on low until combined, and then switch to a dough hook and knead on high for 10 to 12 minutes or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Reduce speed to low and add in the butter and/or lard 3 tablespoons at a time, fully incorporating it before adding more. The dough will be very sticky, so use a stand mixer if you have one. You could do it by hand, but I opted for more modern methods. Once all of the fat is incorporated, knead on medium high for 10 more minutes or until the dough becomes nice and smooth.
5. Set the dough in a lightly greased container, cover, and let it sit for 2 hours or until it's doubled in size. Turn it out onto a lightly greased surface, fold it over on itself, and return it to the container, covered, and let it rise in the refrigerator for 6-12 hours.
6. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it return to room temperature (about 1 hour), then set aside 10 1/2 ounces (300 g) of dough for the decoration. Divide the remaining dough into 4 equal pieces (this can also be 2 large loaves or 8 smaller loaves). Shape the dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet, firmly pressing them down to create a flat top.
7. Divide the 300 g of reserved dough into 4 pieces. Each piece should be made into a small ball about 1” across and the rest should be rolled into ropes about twice the length of the main loaves. Divide the ropes into 4 pieces, shaping the middle to be slightly thinner than the ends to give the appearance of a bone.
8. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the mixture onto one side of each of the bones and ball to act as glue. Set 4 bones on each loaf in a cross pattern then stick the dough ball on top and press it down firmly. Cover the loaves and allow to rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
10. Brush the risen loaves with the remaining egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If you make smaller loaves, they’ll take less time to bake. Once they bottoms of the loaves are a deep golden brown, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.
11. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour into 1/2 cup of water and set over low heat, stirring until it thickens. Let it cool, stirring continuously, then brush it on the cooled loaves and dust with plenty of sugar. Wait 5 minutes, dust with more sugar, then serve them forth.

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