Pan De Meurete Bread Of The Dead Or Sugar Skull Cake Recipes

PAN DE MUERTOS (MEXICAN BREAD OF THE DEAD)

Steps:

• Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add them warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).
• In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf with a round knob on top. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.
• To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

PAN DE MUERTOS ( DAY OF THE DEAD BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients together except the 4 1/2 cups of flour.
• In small pan, heat the milk, the water, and the butter.
• Add liquid mixture to the dry mixture.
• Beat well.
• Mix in the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of flour. Beat well.
• Put in rest of flour, little by little.
• Knead the mixture for 10 minutes.
• Put dough in bowl and allow to rise until has doubled in size, or about an hour and a half.
• Punch dough down and reshape it with some "bone" shapes on top to decorate it.
• Let rise another hour.
• Heat 1/2 cup sugar and the 1/3 orange juice over stove until melted.
• Brush over dough.
• Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes.

PAN DE MUERTO (MEXICAN BREAD OF THE DEAD)

Steps:

• For the Bread:.
• Pour warm water into a 1 quart bowl and sprinkle yeast over water. Set aside in a warm place that is free of draft until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir 1 cup of flour to make a sponge. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until the sponge doubles in volume, about 1 hour.
• Scrape the sponge into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in anise seeds, orange zest, butter, orange liqueur, sugar, salt, eggs and 2 cups of flour. Beat the batter on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add, one 1/4 cup at a time, the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour until it forms a very soft dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
• Knead with hook for 4 minutes (dough will be smooth and very soft, but it should not be sticky, if needed add more flour by the tablespoon to preventing sticking). Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a cloth and set aside to rise in a warm place free of draft until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hour.
• Grease 2 8-inches round cake pans. Gently deflate dough and divide in half, (dough will be very soft). Carefully transfer each half to a greased cake pan, turning the edges under to smooth the top as best you can. Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap, then with damp cloths and let stand in a warm place until dough rises to the top of pan, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake bread until hollow when thumped, about 35 to 40 minutes. Immediately remove the loaves from pans and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
• For Glaze:.
• Stir everything together until smooth, add more orange juice if necessary to reach spread consistency.
• Spread glaze over cooled loaves and sprinkle with toppings.

PAN DE MEURETE (BREAD OF THE DEAD) OR SUGAR SKULL CAKE

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in the water, then add 1 cup of flour.
• Stir to make a soft spongey texture, cover with a dishcloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
• Set aside 1/2 cup flour.
• Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar to the yeast mixture.
• In another bowl, mix the cooled butter, eggs, anise water, orange blossom water, and orange rind.
• Mix this butter mixture with the yeast-flour mixture, incorporating well.
• Pour the reserved 1/2 cup flour onto a clean board or sil-pat. Then pour the completed dough onto it. It will be very soft, so keep your hands floured and knead lightly.
• Place into a greased bowl and set in a warm place (like the oven turned off) for about 90 minutes to rise.
• Shape into a round loaf in a lightly greased and flour 9-inch pie pan.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
• Make the glaze with the icing sugar, vanilla, and just enough milk to make a glaze of frosting consistency.
• Glaze only the top of the bread when it has cooled. Sprinkle with pink sugar crystals, bone sprinkles, fondant sugar skulls, whatever tickles your fancy!