The first recipe from the Mexican version of the Blog is the most representative of our trip to Mexico City: Pan de Muertos.
It is indeed a sweet prepared in Mexico during the Week of the Dead.
We had the pleasure of celebrating El dia de los muertos right in Mexico City and I talked about this typical sweet, showing it to you, during the live broadcast of ViaggiandoMangiando on air precisely on November 2, 2023, at the peak of Mexican celebrations.
Pan de muertos is a simple recipe for sweet bread with anise seeds and/or orange zest, which varies by region, it can be filled (relleno) or simple, as we tasted it (see photo).
In general, it has a round shape, decorated with two crossed “huesitos” (elongated pieces of dough representing bones).
The circular shape symbolizes the cycle of life and death, the ball of dough in the center is the skull, as is the decoration that represents the bones, symbolically arranged in the shape of a cross.
Once baked, the bread’s surface is covered with white sugar, or with sugar and cinnamon, or with sesame seeds.
It is one of the typical elements of altars erected to celebrate the dead.
The foods placed on the altars are ritually offered to nourish the souls of loved ones, who return to visit their homes.
Other typical recipes of the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 5 loaves
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 5 1/3 cups flour
- 0.42 oz fresh yeast (or 0.11 oz dry yeast)
- 4 eggs
- 0.85 cups milk
- 3/4 cup sugar (+ decoration)
- 7 oz butter
- as needed orange zest
- as needed salt
Steps
Mix the yeast with the milk at room temperature.
In another container, mix the flour, sugar, orange zest, and salt.Add in the center the eggs, butter in cubes (at room temperature), and the milk with the previously mixed yeast.
Combine the mixtures.
Knead the dough and place it in a covered bowl to let it rise until it doubles in size (about 2 hours).
Set aside about 1/5 of the dough for decoration and divide the rest into equal portions of at least 1.8 oz each (5).
Create 5 circular loaves with each portion.
Decorate with cross-shaped bones and a ball in the center.
Cover and let rise for 1 or 2 hours until the dough doubles again.
Bake at 356°F for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, brush the sweet loaves with melted butter and sprinkle with white sugar.
Unforgettable the animated film Coco set right during the Mexican festivity.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What varieties of Pan de muertos exist?
Sugared (the most widespread and commercial in the center of the country: simple bread dusted with sugar)
“Hojaldra” with “flor de azhar” essence and sesame from Puebla (simple bread sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds)
Azucarado de la Mixteca (red sugar for offerings)
Egg yolk bread from Oaxaca
Vanilla or orange
With chocolate bread (covered with sugar)
Chocolate covered (chocolate bread and covered with chocolate)
Filled with figures (sugared bread filled with skulls, similar to Rosca de Reyes)
Figures of the dead with cow decorations with milk chocolate
