Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)

Before you start

Pan de muerto is the sweet bread baked across Mexico in the weeks around Día de Muertos and set on ofrendas or shared with hot chocolate. Regional versions vary a lot. This one follows the common central Mexican style: a domed, buttery loaf flavored with orange zest, orange blossom water and a little anise, decorated with crossed dough strips shaped like bones and a small ball on top, then brushed with butter and rolled in sugar.

The dough is rich and soft, so it rises slowly and needs a long first rise. The decorations are made from the same dough and must be attached with a dab of water or egg so they stay in place as the loaf expands. The loaf is large and browns quickly because of the sugar and eggs; loosely tent it with foil partway through and use an instant-read thermometer to judge when the center is done.

Ingredients

• Dough400 g (3⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
• 80 g (6½ tbsp) granulated sugar
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 1 tsp (6 g) fine salt
• 1 tsp anise seed — lightly crushed
• 1 medium orange — finely grated zest only
• 3 large (about 150 g) eggs — room temperature
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) whole milk — lukewarm
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• 85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter — very soft
• Finish1 large egg yolk — beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash
• 40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter — melted
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar — for coating

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, anise and orange zest in the mixer bowl. Add the eggs, milk and orange blossom water and mix on low until no dry flour remains.
2. Knead on medium-low for about 6 minutes. Add the soft butter in four additions, then knead 8 to 10 minutes more, until the dough is glossy, elastic and stretches into a thin sheet. It will feel soft and slightly tacky.
3. Cover and let it rise at about 24°C (75°F) for 1½ to 2 hours, until doubled. An enriched dough like this rises more slowly than a lean loaf, so go by size, not the clock.
4. Turn the dough out and cut off about 100 g for decorations. Shape the larger piece into a tight ball and set it on the lined sheet; flatten it slightly to about 18 cm (7 in) across.
5. Take a 20 g piece of the reserved dough and roll a small ball for the top. Divide the rest into 3 or 4 pieces and roll each into a rope about 20 cm long. Press your spread fingers onto each rope as you roll it to form knobby bone shapes.
6. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with water. Drape the bones over the dome so they cross in the center, then set the ball where they meet and press it down firmly.
7. Cover loosely and proof for 45 to 60 minutes, until the loaf is about 1½ times its size and springs back slowly when pressed. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) toward the end.
8. Brush the whole loaf with egg wash. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, laying foil loosely over the top after 20 minutes once it is deep golden. The center should reach 88 to 90°C (190 to 195°F).
9. Cool for 30 minutes. Brush the warm loaf generously with melted butter and sprinkle or roll it in sugar until coated, then let it finish cooling.

Tips for success

• Attach the bones firmly. If they lift during proofing, press them back down with a wet fingertip.
• Crush anise seed in a mortar just before using it. Pre-ground anise loses its scent fast and can taste dusty.
• For a crisper sugar crust, brush with butter while the loaf is still warm, not hot, so the sugar sticks without melting into syrup.

Substitutions

Orange blossom water

Use 1 extra teaspoon of orange zest and ½ tsp vanilla. The bread will taste of orange but lose its floral note.

Anise seed

Leave it out or use a pinch of ground cinnamon. Anise is traditional in many regions but not all.

Granulated sugar coating

Toss with sesame seeds before baking in place of the sugar finish, as some regional breads do; skip the melted butter brush and use egg wash only.

Variations

Pink sugar finish

Rub a drop of red food coloring into the coating sugar for the colored pan de muerto sold in some regions.

Small individual breads

Divide the main dough into 6 pieces of about 110 g, decorate each with small bones and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.

Troubleshooting

The bones slid off or flattened

They were not stuck down, or the loaf overproofed and spread. Brush the dough with water before placing them, and bake as soon as the loaf passes the slow-spring test.

Dark crust, doughy center

The oven ran hot or the foil went on too late. Check with an oven thermometer, tent sooner, and bake to an internal 88°C rather than by color.

The loaf spread wide and flat

The dough was underkneaded or too warm. Knead until it passes a windowpane test and shape the ball with real surface tension.

Storage

Keep the bread loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days; the sugar crust softens in airtight containers. Freeze the unsugared baked loaf for up to 1 month, then thaw, warm briefly and finish with butter and sugar.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough. It contains raw egg and flour, which are only safe once baked. Contains wheat, egg and milk.