Pan de Muerto Traditional Recipe

Learn how to make Pan de Muerto, a traditional Mexican sweet bread. Soft and fragrant, this Bread of the Dead is perfect to enjoy with a cup of Mexican café de olla or hot chocolate.

What is Pan de Muerto?

Pan de Muerto is a traditional Mexican sweet bread popular during the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico. It has a soft and spongy texture, with a buttery and sweet flavor, and an amazing orange blossom scent.

Bread of the Dead (as it’s known in English) is typically decorated with dough in the shape of bones and skulls, but, depending on the region it may also have a different appearance or can be made with other ingredients.

As Día de Muertos (November 1 & 2) approach, this sweet bread is sold at any panadería along with other types of pan dulce and is often eaten with Mexican hot chocolate or other traditional beverages.

The history of Pan de Muerto dates back to Colonial times when the pagan traditions of the Aztecs were mixed with the Catholic rites of the Spanish conquerors.

The Meaning Of Bread of The Dead

Pan de Muerto is an essential part of the Ofrenda de Muertos, a home altar made with various foods and items to honor the deceased family members during the Day of the Dead.

The bread might have different meanings which depend on the shape and ingredients used to make it. Various states have added their personal touch, depending on the traditional ingredients of their region.

The most popular is characterized by being circular in shape, which represents the cycle of life and death, with a small circle at the top simulating the skull, and four dough figures in the shape of “bones”, precisely to represent death.

However, in other regions of the country, the meaning of Pan de Muerto can vary and the small round shape on top represents the tears for the loss of a loved one, while the crossed bones represent the four cardinal points and the four pre-Hispanic gods (Quetzalcóatl, Tláloc, Xipe Tútec, and Tezcatlipoca).

Is also believed that the wonderful smells of orange zest and orange blossom have the purpose to evoke the memory of the deceased.

Pan de Muerto Recipe

Make the dough:

To make Pan de Muerto at home start by preparing the pre-ferment (also known as poolish).

So, place lukewarm milk, yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of flour in a bowl. Stir well to combine the ingredients until it forms a runny paste without lumps.

Cover with cling film and set aside until the mixture is foamy and bubbly (about 15-20 minutes).

Sift the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add salt and the remaining sugar. Use the hook attachment and mix for half a minute to combine the ingredients.

Place orange juice, orange blossom water, eggs, and orange zest in a small mixing bowl. Whisk for 1 minute or until combined.

Make a well in the flour and pour in the egg mixture, then mix for 1 minute at the lowest speed.

Add the softened butter and knead at medium speed until it forms a rough dough that doesn’t stick to the bowl (about 3-4 minutes).

Now add the pre-ferment (poolish) to the bowl and knead at medium-low speed for 5 minutes. You will notice the dough is now a bit sticky. Here’s how it looks after 5 minutes:

Increase the speed of your mixer to medium-high and knead for about 15 minutes or until the dough will be nicely smooth but still a bit sticky. Don’t worry, after resting, the dough will be more manageable, so don’t add more flour!

Form a ball with the dough and place it in a greased container. I used the bowl of my mixer which I first coated with butter.

Cover with a clean cloth or cling film and leave it to proof in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume (about 2 hours if the room temperature is about 75°F/24°C).

Make the loaves

Slightly butter a working surface and place the dough on it, then divide it into 6 portions the same size; use a kitchen scale for this purpose.

Now, cut a small part of the dough from each portion, they will be needed to make the bones decorations.

With the larger portions, form small balls using your hands. Make sure your hands are also slightly oiled.

Place the dough balls in a large baking tray lined with parchment paper or lightly buttered.

Now, divide the 6 small portions of dough you took before into 3 pieces each, so you’ll end with 18 pieces the size of a hazelnut.

Clean well your working surface from the remaining butter and then generously flour it. Flour also your hands so it will be easier to shape the decorations.

Now, one by one, stretch 12 pieces into a tube, rolling the dough with your fingers and pressing so that some sort of “bones” form as you see in the picture below:

Tip: It is important to add a little more flour to these small portions of dough so they become more compact, making them easier to work with and preventing them from deforming during the baking.

Next, take two “bones” and place them crossed on top of each dough ball. With the remaining small portion, form a small ball and place it on top of the cross on each big ball.

Cover the small loaves with a clean kitchen cloth and allow them to proof in a warm place for as long as it takes to almost double in volume (about 30 minutes in a warm environment).

Bake

Preheat your oven to 360°F/180°C and bake the bread loaves for about 16-18 minutes. Or until the top is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool down for 15 minutes. Then brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to reach room temperature before slicing.

Recipe Notes

• If you want your Bread of the Dead to have a shiny and slightly crisp outside texture, make sure you brush them before baking with an egg wash made with 1 egg + 2 tablespoons water. You can also sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• I normally use Manitoba flour to make this recipe, which is very easy to find in the many supermarkets where I live.
• The entire process of making the dough can also be done by hand, but it will take about 30 minutes of hand-kneading, which can be a little exhausting.
• The proofing time can vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen. My recommendation is to place the dough to proof inside the oven with the lights on to create a warmer environment.
• With the ingredients listed in the recipe card below, you can make 6 medium buns. If you want larger loaves you can divide the dough into 3 portions instead, just remember that depending on the size the proofing and baking times can increase.

Love Mexican soft bread? Try also this telera rolls recipe.

How To Eat

Mexican pan de muerto can be eaten with chocolate caliente (hot cocoa), champurrado, coffee, or atole.

Is one of the most popular foods for Día de Muertos where other traditional dishes like tamales or mole are shared with the living and the dead.

How To Store

Like most soft bread, this Bread of The Dead keeps perfectly for up to a week in a container with a tight lid.

You can also wrap it tightly with cling film and freeze it for up to 3 months. To defrost it, just take it out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight on your kitchen countertop.

FAQ

More Día de Muertos Recipes

Day of the Dead is the perfect occasion to enjoy more traditional Mexican dishes. We’d like to share with you our favorites:

• Tamales Oaxaqueños.
• Pipián Mole Verde.
• Calabaza En Tacha.
• Sweet Camote.

Let us know in the comments below if you have a favorite food for this event!

We hope you enjoyed this Pan de Muerto recipe. Please don’t forget to rate it and leave us a comment below.

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This pan de muertos recipe was originally published in Spanish in October 2015. This article has been edited to add more photos and useful info, but the recipe remains the same.