The Recipe
Makes: 8 large buns
Preparation: 20 minutes plus proving time
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
Pan de Muerto is a traditional Mexican sweet bread that's commonly enjoyed during Dia de los Muertos, a holiday that celebrates and honors deceased loved ones.
Back when I was living in Mexico I learned how to make this bread.
It is an iconic symbol of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. It is one of the symbols that are placed at offrendas or altars that will coax and feed the souls as they return to their loved ones once a year.
Learn more about Dia de los Muertos HERE.
You are more than welcome to freeze this bread and heat it up when you get a craving, but if you taste it straight out of the oven you will not stop at just one. Enjoy the recipe and let me know how it goes!!
INGREDIENTS
14g instant dry yeast
1 cup / 235mls whole milk
4 medium eggs
2 oranges, zest and juice (approximately ¾ cup juice)
170g unsalted butter
180g caster sugar
2 tsp aniseed
¼ tsp fine sea salt
800g plain flour
Extra flour for rolling
1 egg for egg wash
GARNISH
100g sugar
100mls orange juice
120 g fine caster sugar for sprinkling
METHOD
Mix 50g sugar, yeast, ½ cup warm milk, and ¾ cup flour. Allow sitting for about 20 minutes to activate the yeast.
Whisk the rest of the sugar, milk, eggs, zest and juice, aniseed in a separate bowl
Sift flour and salt separately.
Whisk the egg and yeast mixture together.
In an electric mixer, on low speed with the dough hook attached, pour in the wet mixture and add 1/3 of the flour. Add ½ of the melted butter and allow to mix for about 3 minutes. Continue this until both butter and flour is mixed in.
Mix for 5-8 minutes at a medium/high speed until everything is incorporated and the dough comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Transfer the mixture into a large, oiled container with a secure lid. Allow to rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size, and then transfer to the fridge to sit overnight.
Make sure the container is big enough as the dough will rise quite a bit.
The next day….
Preheat the oven to 180’C
Turn out the dough on a floured surface and shape 8 x 150g balls of dough. Place on a lined baking tray.
With the remaining dough, shape 16 lengths of dough (15 cm each), the thickness of a pen.
Make small balls at the ends of the dough, and place them on the buns so they cross over.
Roll a small ball of dough and place it in the centre of the crosses.
Brush with egg yolk and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes
Heat 100g sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved
When the bread is ready, take it out of the oven and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
Brush with orange juice sugar mixture and dust generously with sugar.
Store in an airtight container or the bread can be frozen for up to 3 months.
