Pan De Muerto 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 MUERTO

Steps:

• Mound 560 grams of flour in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the sugar and salt. Add yeast, breaking it up with your fingertips. Mix lightly.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. In the well, add eggs and 1/2 cup of the lard. With your fingers or a wooden spoon, slowly draw flour into eggs and shortening until they're mixed into the flour. Gradually add the milk. The dough will be messy and very sticky.
• Flour a work surface heavily, and have more flour ready to use. Turn dough onto the surface and begin to knead aggressively, sprinkling with flour liberally until dough is soft, smooth and supple, and rebounds after a touch. Divide into four equal pieces and form into smooth rounds. Allow to rest in a warm spot for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a large baking sheet with lard.
• Once they have rested, gently flatten three of the four pieces into 6-inch rounds, patting them around the edges so they retain a slight dome in the middle. Place them on the baking sheet several inches apart; if necessary, use more than one sheet. To the fourth piece, add remaining 2 tablespoons lard, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons flour, kneading until well incorporated. This is for decorating the rounds with the traditional skull and crossbones; it will be supple but stiffer than the bread dough.
• To make the crossbones decorations, divide the decorating dough into three equal sections. From one section, break off a ball about 1 inch in diameter and set aside. Divide the remaining part of that section into two, rolling each into a rope a few inches long, with some parts of the rope fatter than the others. (Do this by gently rolling the dough with your hand outstretched, with only the three middle fingers touching the dough, so that the dough between your fingers is puffier than the rest.) Cross the two "bones" in an "X" across a round of bread, and place the small ball of dough in the center. Repeat with remaining dough. Set the breads aside to rise for one hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• The bread may be baked plain, or gently brushed with egg white and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Bake until browned and fragrant, about 45 minutes, or until it produces a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. If baked plain, it may be brushed afterward with melted lard and dusted with sugar or cinnamon sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MEXICAN DAY OF THE DEAD BREAD (PAN DE MUERTO)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer , combine butter, sugar, aniseed, salt, and 1/2 cup of flour .
• Use dough hook to mix ingredients until they begin to come together.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and orange zest.
• Add to stand mixer bowl, along with another 1/2 cup of flour. Mix until combined.
• Add yeast and another 1/2 cup of flour, mixing to combine.
• Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time, mixing between additions, until a dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute.
• Cover with a clean, damp dishcloth and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350 F. Separate about 1/4 of the dough and use it to make bone shapes to drape across the loaf.
• Shape rest of dough into a flat-bottomed semisphere. Position bone shapes on the top of loaf and press gently so they adhere. Let dough rise for an additional hour.
• Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes (30 minutes for smaller loaves).
• Cool and glaze, if desired, before serving.
• Cut pan de muerto into large wedges for eating by hand. Serve with Mexican hot chocolate or champurrado (chocolate atole) if you like.

PAN DE MUERTOS

Steps:

• For the starter:
• Put the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast into a mixing bowl and gradually beat in the water and eggs. Continue beating until the dough forms a cohesive mass around the dough hook. It should be sticky, elastic, and shiny, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and form into a round cushion. Butter a clean bowl and sprinkle well with flour. Place the dough into it, cover with greased waxed paper and a towel, and set aside in a warm place-ideally about 70°F (21°C)-until the dough has doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• For the dough:
• Tear the starter into pieces and put it, the sugar, and the butter into the bowl of a mixer and mix well with the dough hook, gradually beating in the flour alternately with the yolks. Beat in the water and flavoring-you should have a slightly sticky, smooth, shiny dough that just holds its shape (since eggs, flours, and climates differ you may need to reduce or increase the liquid). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and form into a round cushion shape.
• Butter a clean bowl and dust well with flour and place the dough in it. Cover with greased waxed paper and a towel, and set aside in a warm place, about 70°F (21°C), until it is almost doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Or, if you have the time, set it aside gently weighted down in the refrigerator overnight. (If you choose the latter, allow the dough to come up to room temperature before shaping it.)
• Liberally grease four baking sheets-two for main "bodies" and two for the "heads and bones." Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide into two equal pieces. Set one piece aside under plastic wrap while you work with the first.
• Take three-fourths of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Press it out to a circle about 8 inches (20cm) in diameter-it should be about 1 inch (2.5cm) thick. Press around the edge of the dough to form a narrow ridge of about 1 inch (2.5cm)-like the brim of a hat-and transfer to one of the baking sheets. Cover loosely with greased waxed paper and set aside in a warm place, about 70°F (21°C), to rise about half its size again, about 1 hour.
• Divide the remaining one-quarter of dough into four equal parts. Roll one piece into a smooth ball-that will be the head. Roll out the other three pieces into strips about 8 inches (20cm) long, forming knobs as you do it. Place these onto a second tray, cover as before, and set aside to rise for about 1 hour. Repeat the steps to form the second bread.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). At the end of the rising period, place the three "bones" at regular intervals across the dough with the round ball in the middle and make two indentations for "eyes." Brush the surface of the dough with the beaten eggs and bake until well browned and springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the heat off, open the oven door, and let the breads sit for about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the breads to racks, brush with the melted butter, and sprinkle well with the sugar. It is best to let the breads cool off for about 2 hours before eating. If well stored, they will keep soft for several days and, in fact, improve in flavor.

PAN DE MUERTO

Steps:

• Pulverize fruit or herbs in a blender until very finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in ½ cup sugar. Sift through a fine mesh sieve, discard any large pieces of fruit or herbs and store sifted fruit sugar in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Whisk milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer (alternately, use a large bowl to knead by hand). Let sit 10 minutes to dissolve, you will see a few bubbles but mixture won't be foamy and that's ok. Whisk granulated sugar, salt, eggs and zest in a small bowl.
• Add milk powder, 3cups flour, and egg mixture to yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to stand mixer and fit with dough hook. Mix on medium speed until dough comes together but is still slightly tough, about 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and add butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time (dough will look broken after each addition, but it will eventually come together), until dough is smooth, elastic, and very tacky but pulls away from sides of bowl, about 12 minutes. This may seem like a long time, but the texture of the bread improves with a long knead time. (Alternatively, knead dough on a lightly floured surface, adding 1 Tbsp. butter at a time, until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.).
• Lightly butter a large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, 35-50 minutes. This is one of those times when the visual cues outweigh whatever your kitchen timer says. If allowed to overproof, this dough will start to smell like alcohol and develop off flavors. Check it at 35 minutes: It should smell buttery and yeasty, and if it's doubled, it's done. If not, check again in 10 minutes.
• Gently deflate dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall back into bowl, turning bowl and repeating if needed. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill at least 12 hours and up to 3 days (an overnight rest works great).
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; lightly coat parchment with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Then tear off a tablespoon-sized piece of dough from each piece and set aside. Re-shape the larger 8 pieces into a smooth round balls and transfer to the prepared sheet spaced evenly apart.
• Pinch off a ½ teaspoon-sized piece of dough from each of the remaining smaller 8 pieces. Roll each tiny piece into a smooth round ball and transfer to the second prepared sheet in a single row on one of the narrow ends spaced about 1" apart.
• Divide remaining 8 pieces of dough in half; you should now have 16 small pieces of dough. Working one piece at a time, roll using the palm of your hand into a 3" thin rope. Use your index finger to roll and press the center of the rope so that the middle is thinner and both ends are thicker. Next, use your two index fingers to roll and press the centers of the two thicker ends so that the centers are thin and the ends are thicker. The dough should look like a rope of 4 links of sausage, these are the bones. Carefully transfer to second prepared sheet tray and repeat with remaining dough spacing evenly apart on prepared sheet. Spray two large sheets of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and loosely cover. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until almost doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
• Position a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°. Remove plastic wrap and carefully pick up one of the bones, lifting from the ends (it will stretch and deflate slightly). Drape over one of the larger dough rounds, positioning at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. Repeat with second bone, positioning at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. Carefully place one of the small balls in the center, at the point where bones overlap, gently pressing edges of the ball into bones and larger ball, crowning the loaf.
• Bake until deep golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and brush with melted butter and immediately sprinkle with fruit sugar. Let cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before serving.
• Do Ahead: Bread can be made 3 days ahead; let cool completely before storing and keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

PAN DE MUERTO

Steps:

• For the Starter: Whisk together milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Whisk in flour. Cover with a clean kitchen towel; set in a warm, draft-free place and let stand until mixture begins to bubble, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the Dough: Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add orange-flower water, orange zest, anise seeds, eggs, flour, sugar, and salt and beat on low speed until combined. Scrape bowl and beater and switch to the dough-hook attachment. Beat on medium speed until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and starts to make a slapping sound, 10 to 12 minutes.
• On low speed, add butter in four to six additions, incorporating each before adding the next. From time to time, scrape down bowl. When all of butter has been added, increase speed to medium and beat another 8 to 10 minutes, until dough slaps against bowl again. (It will still be sticky, but don't be tempted to add more flour.)
• Butter a large bowl. Shape dough into a ball and place in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Gently deflate dough with your fist, gather it into a ball, and turn over, so bottom is now on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours, and up to overnight.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and set, still covered, in a warm, draft-free spot until it comes to room temperature and rises, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Turn dough out of bowl. Cut off a quarter of dough and divide into two equal pieces; set aside. Divide larger piece of dough into two equal pieces, shape each into a ball, and place on separate baking sheets.
• To make skull and crossbones, cut one of smaller pieces of dough into three equal pieces. Shape one piece into a ball for the skull. For the bones, roll the other two pieces into ropes and pinch at intervals, so they look like joints. Repeat with other smaller piece of dough. Flatten one of smaller dough balls into a 6-inch round. Place 2 bone strips on top of a large dough round, crossing them to make an X and pressing them lightly into dough. Place "skull" in middle and press down lightly to secure. Repeat with other round of dough. If dough seems sticky, dust lightly with flour. Cover breads lightly with kitchen towels and let rise in a warm, draft free spot until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F, with a rack in middle. Bake, one loaf at a time, until lightly browned on top, 25 minutes. Cover bread loosely with foil; bake another 25 minutes, or until bread is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Let cool on wire racks.
• For the Topping: Meanwhile, brush about a quarter of the top of one bread with melted butter and immediately sprinkle with a generous amount of sugar, so it adheres before butter cools and dries. Continue with rest of bread, then top second bread. Let topping cool before slicing. Wrapped in foil or in a cake keeper, bread will stay fresh up to 5 days.