You’re probably wondering why we have named this recipe Mexican Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muerto) because as the name suggests, traditionally this round, sweet bread loaf is enjoyed in Mexico on this special celebration, falling in November.
Made with a light dough from butter, sugar, aniseed, salt, flour, eggs, warm water, orange zest and yeast, it’s the bone-like pattern shaped and draped over the top that represents bones and tears on this specific day!
To make Mexican Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muerto), you will need the following ingredients:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with an electric beater, combine 4 ounces of butter with ¾ cup of sugar, 3 teaspoon of whole aniseed, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ cup of the flour.
In a separate small bowl, whisk 4 large eggs, with 1 cup of warm water, and 2 tablespoons of orange zest until combined then pour into the stand mixer bowl along with another ½ cup of flour. Mix until well combined.
Finally, add 2 packets of dry yeast and another ½ cup of flour, then mix until combined.
Gradually add the remaining flour while mixing, until the dough begins to stick.
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 1 minute. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm space for about 1 hour 30 minutes to rise until doubled in volume. Separate about 1/4 of the dough and use it to make bone shapes to drape across the loaf.
Separate ¼ of the risen dough and roll into bone shapes for draping over the top of the loaf. Shape the remaining dough in round, semi-sphere, flat bottomed bread and gently press the bone draping over and into the loaf.
Set aside for another hour to rise.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes until golden. If baking smaller loaves, they may take about 30 minutes to bake.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk ¼ cup sugar with ¼ cup of orange juice until combined then bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes until thickened into a glaze.
Brush the prepared glaze over the top of the loaf, while it’s still warm and sprinkle with some white sugar.
Whether it is November or not, this Mexican Day of the Dead Bread is phenomenal. Soft enough to be torn with your hands, and enjoyed by the fistfuls! Do you love it? Let us know! Get dressed up and snap some pictures then tag us online using the hashtag #cookmerecipes!
Simply delicious bread! Made it for family gathering, it brought back sweet memories of my grandmother baking it for us.
OMG, this Pan de Muerto was the bomb! Made it for Día de Muertos, and my fam loved it! So good!
This Pan de Muerto recipe is exceptional. I made it for my family on Día de los Muertos, and it brought back wonderful memories.
Super easy and tasty! Perfect for the kids!
Loved making this!
This bread turned our family gathering special!
Superb bread recipe. It took me back to my travels in Mexico during Day of the Dead. The taste and aroma filled my kitchen with memories of those vibrant celebrations. So worth making.
Delish! I made this for my friends during a Day of the Dead celebration, and it was a hit! The warm orange zest flavor brought back amazing childhood memories of my grandma baking. So easy and fun to make!
Delicious!
So simple and delicious for my family.
Delicious! I made this bread last week for my friend’s Day of the Dead fiesta, and it was a hit. The aroma of orange zest filled my apartment, making me feel so proud. It was so easy to make, and the taste was just phenomenal. I’ll be making it again.
This bread tastes wonderful. I made it for the Day of the Dead celebration and it brought back memories of my childhood. The aniseed gives it such a unique flavor, and everyone loved it. Thankful for this recipe.
Superb flavor delight!
OMG, this bread is lit! Made it for my fam and we devoured it. So good for Day of the Dead!
Superb! Made this recipe for the first time; the whole family loved it!
