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Pan de Muerto
A soft, orange-scented sweet bread topped with dough 'bones' and sugar, baked for Día de Muertos.
Ingredients
| Volume | Grams |
|---|---|
| Dough | |
| 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour | 420 g |
| 1/2 cup granulated sugar | 99 g |
| 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast | 6.8 g |
| 1 tsp table salt | 6 g |
| 1 tbsp orange zest, from 1 large orange | — |
| 1/2 cup warm milk | 114 g |
| 3 large eggs, room temperature | 150 g |
| 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened | 113 g |
| 1 tsp orange blossom water, optional | 4.7 g |
| Topping | |
| 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted | 42 g |
| 1/3 cup granulated sugar | 66 g |
Gram weights use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart; “—” means the ingredient isn’t on the chart, so measure it by volume or count. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or better, weigh it.
Method
- Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and orange zest. Add the warm milk, eggs and orange blossom water and mix into a sticky dough.
- Knead in the soft butter a little at a time, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2–2 hours.
- Cut off about one-fifth of the dough for decorations. Shape the rest into two smooth rounds on a parchment-lined sheet.
- Roll the reserved dough into ropes, pressing your fingers along them to make knobby 'bones'. Lay two crossed bones on each loaf and top with a small ball in the center.
- Cover and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 °F.
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding underneath. Brush the warm loaves with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Tips
- Brush the bones with a little beaten egg before baking for extra shine.
- Orange blossom water is traditional but strong; a teaspoon is plenty.
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