Learn how to make Pan de Muerto, a traditional Mexican sweet bread deliciously soft and fragrant. Our recipe will guide you step by step to make this treat at home.
Place milk, yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of flour in a bowl.
Stir well to combine the ingredients until a runny paste without lumps forms.
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.
Whisk the eggs with orange juice, orange blossom water, and orange zest in a small mixing bowl.
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 yeast mixture to the bowl and knead at medium-low speed for 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.
Form a ball with the dough and place it in a buttered container.
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).
Make the loaves
Slightly butter a working surface and place the dough on it, then divide it into 6 portions the same size.
Now, cut a small part of the dough from each portion, they will be needed to make the decorations.
Form small balls with the larger portions 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.
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.
One by one, stretch 12 pieces into a rope, rolling the dough with your fingers and pressing so that some sort of “bones” form.
Take two “bones” and place them crossed on top of each dough ball.
Make 6 smalls balls with the remaining portions and place them on top of each loaf.
Cover the 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.
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.
Brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to reach room temperature before slicing.
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.
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.