Mexican🍞 Bread & bakery

Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)

Name: Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 tbsp active dry yeast; 4.06 cups all purpose flour; ¾ cups sugar; 1 cup warm milk (110°F); ¼ tsp ground anise; ½ tsp salt; 3 eggs; 1 tbsp orange extract or orange blossom water; 1 tbsp Mexican vanilla blend; 1 tbsp orange zest; 12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed; 1 egg for wash; 1 tbsp water or milk; 1 tsp sugar; 1 pinch salt; 4 tbsp butter, room temperature; sanding sugar or granulated sugar

⏱ 195 min🍽 Serves 6

Traditional Mexican Pan de Muerto with a soft and fluffy crumb, fragrant with orange blossom. This sweet bread is enriched with eggs, milk, and butter, then brushed with melted butter and topped with sparkling sugar after baking.

Adapted from a video by Cooking Con Claudia

Pan de Muerto #shorts

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

active dry yeast1 tbsp
all purpose flour4.06 cups
sugar¾ cups
warm milk (110°F)1 cup
ground anise¼ tsp
salt½ tsp
eggsplus 1 yolk, room temperature3
orange extract or orange blossom water1 tbsp
Mexican vanilla blend1 tbsp
orange zestfrom 1 orange1 tbsp

Steps

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1
Combine flour, sugar, salt, ground anise, and yeast in a stand mixer and give it a quick stir.
2
Add Mexican vanilla blend, orange blossom water, eggs, and egg yolk while slowly pouring in the warm milk. Mix for 3 minutes until the dough forms.
3
Begin adding butter gradually, increase mixer speed to medium, and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4
Remove dough from mixer, shape into a ball, and transfer to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5
Deflate the risen dough and divide into portions. Separate a small piece from each section to use for bone decoration. Press down each main piece, brush with butter, and transfer to a baking sheet.
6
Shape the reserved small dough pieces into about 20 small balls for decoration. Cover and set aside. Let the main loaves rest and rise for another 30-45 minutes until doubled.
7
Once the dough has doubled, preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare egg wash by whisking together 1 egg, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt.
8
Brush egg wash on the bread surface and place 4 small dough balls on top of each loaf to form decorative bones in a cross pattern.
9
Bake for 18-20 minutes until the bread is golden brown on top.
10
Let cool for a few minutes, then brush with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar while still warm.

Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)

Ingredients

Steps

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