Mexican Bread of the Dead (pan de muerto) is a brioche bread traditionally prepared to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico.
Note that the recipe is not the same throughout Mexico, as with all traditional recipes, it can vary slightly from region to region.
The origin of this recipe seems to be very dated, but I will not delve too much into the origins, as I am not very informed.
You just need to know that Mexican Bread of the Dead is a bun-shaped brioche, very soft and fragrant.
This is one of those recipes that takes a bit of time to make, as it is a leavened dough, but once baked, they disappear like smoke.
Mine barely made it to the end of the day, I will definitely make them again soon, the taste was excellent but I absolutely must make them again.
They keep in a plastic bag for days and I assure you that they maintain their softness.
About 410 Kcal per bun
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Portions: 10 buns
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients for making Mexican Bread of the Dead
- 3/8 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp fresh yeast
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- grated zest of one orange
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup softened butter
- 2 medium eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 vial of orange blossom water
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsps milk
- 3/4 oz melted butter
- 3 tbsps sugar
Preparation of Mexican Bread of the Dead
First, in a bowl, place the warm milk, yeast, and dissolve, then add 1/3 cup of flour, mix well, but even if some lumps remain, don’t worry, they will disappear during the final dough.
Leave to rest covered for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the stand mixer (if you can make the dough with a stand mixer it’s better, otherwise use elbow grease by hand), add the juice and grated zest of the orange, the vial of orange blossom water, eggs, sugar, softened butter, and “0” flour, mix well for a few minutes.
Subsequently, add the pre-dough which will have swollen, also add the Manitoba flour, salt, and mix for a few minutes until you obtain a soft and well-mixed dough.
At this point, transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with food wrap, and let it rise for about 2 hours or until it doubles.
Once risen, pour the dough onto a work surface
….make 10 small balls from approximately 100-102 grams of dough, create balls, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
With the leftover dough, once you’ve created the balls, make thin strips of dough and press them with a finger in three points, in the center and towards the two ends….
…..place 2 crossed strips on each bun.
Unfortunately, in the photos, the strips are not clearly visible, the lighting was not in my favor.
On top of the crossed strips, place a ball of dough and our Bread of the Dead is complete.
I recommend looking at the photos to avoid mistakes.
Let it rise again for 40-60 minutes in a warm place, then prepare a mixture with beaten egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of milk, mix well, and brush the buns.
Finally, bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 18-20 minutes.
Once baked, as soon as they are out of the oven, brush them with butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar, now let them cool a bit before eating and bon appétit.
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