Pan de Muertos: Bread of the Dead

My family is from Spain & Mexico. Dia de los Muertos is a very cherished time for my family.

We usually have a get together with close friends (not this year) and set up our altar. Friends bring pictures or mementos of family, pets, and friends. We decorate the altar with flowers and vibrant colors to celebrate our loved ones. We put favorite foods and Pan de Muertos in front of our altar as offerings to loved ones to visit.

Pan de Muertos
Bread of the Dead

1/2 c butter
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c water
5 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 packages active-dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp whole anise seed
1/2 c granulated sugar, plus extra for topping
4 large eggs
Honey
Fresh ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium heat, place butter, milk, and water; warm through until very warm but not boiling, 105-110 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 c flour, yeast, salt, anise seed, and sugar. Slowly beat in the warm milk mixture until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing through. Slowly add in another cup of flour. Continue adding additional flour until the dough is soft but not sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured board and knead for at least 10 minutes. Form the dough into a large ball. Lightly grease a large bowl and place dough in the bowl. Flip the dough so that the grease covers the top & bottom of the dough ball. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

After the dough has risen, punch the dough down and shape into two round loaves. Traditionally, these loaves are shaped into skulls. Strips of dough can also be formed into bones and arranged on top of the loaves.

Let these loaves rise in a warm place until doubled (usually takes 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake bread for 40 minutes. The internal temp should be between 200-210 degrees when the bread is done.

While the bread is still warm, add your toppings of choice. We like to drizzle honey on top. Then we sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the top. You can always add rainbow sprinkles or colorful sugar glaze to make it more colorful.

Let bread cool to room temperature before serving. The bread is best eaten within a day of baking.

Makes two loaves.

Jackie Enriquez, Cedarwood parent