Pan de Muerto - Mexican Day of the Dead Bread

   

 Pan de Muerto literally means Mexican bread of the dead and is traditionally baked during 'Día de los Muertos'. During that weekend that usually starts from the 31st October and finishes on the 2nd November, Mexicans build altars at home or by their loved ones' graves to remember their departed, these are called Altar de Muertos - Altar of the Dead. On these altars, offerings are put, these ritual offerings usually consist food items, flowers, candles and everyday objects that belonged to the deceased. The altar of the dead is a symbolic construction which is the result of the blend of pre-Hispanic ideologies, endemic worldview of Mesoamerican cultures and European character Abrahamic religious beliefs brought by the Spanish conquistadors and missionaries assigned to the colonization and conversion of native peoples of the current Mexico. [Reference Wikipedia] 

       Food offered usually has to be the deceased's favourite which usually will be a variety of tamales, tacos, moles [Mexican sauces], food made out of corn and seasonal fruits. An item that is always present of the altar of the dead is Pan de Muerto which is put at the altar as a major offering towards the deceased. This particular bread can be found sold in shops all over Mexico during Día de los Muertos. There are different variations of this delicious Mexican bread but the recipe I would like to share with you is the most common one and this particular version is very famous in Central Mexico.

    The particular loaf's shape comes from two finger shaped put across the loaf which represent bones. Traditionally it is served with atoles which are hot drinks flavoured with  a myriad of flavours usually these include cocoa,sugar, vanilla, and honey. These atoles are thickened with corn dough which is dissolved in water. One of the most famous atoles is Champurrado which is Mexican style hot chocolate. Delicious! 

     As per most of homemade loaves this bread needs proofing time but it well worth the wait. It is needs patience but nothing out of the ordinary. I followed/adapted the recipe by the School of Mexican Gastronomy [Escuela de Gastronomía Mexicana]. The video is in Spanish but you can still watch it by clicking here. You can follow Yuri and see how dedicated and soft spoken he is! So, if you are feeling adventurous, give it a go. For 1 loaf you will need...

• 250g + 3 tablespoons Strong white flour [Plain flour will be fine]
• 1 instant yeast sachet [7g]
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 45g salted butter
• 150ml lukewarm milk [might not use it all]
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon orange flower water 

To glaze

• Melted butter
• Caster sugar

How to...

1. Start by turning on the oven light. This is where we will proof our starter dough and loaf.
2. On a clean surface or in a large bowl place the flour and make a small volcano. On the edge of the flour volcano sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar and the orange zest. 
3. Now before starting to mix the dough we need to do a starter dough. In a small bowl add the 3 tablespoons of flour, yeast sachet and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix well with a fork or spoon. Add enough lukewarm milk to create a soft dough [not too hard but not too runny either]. You might use about 70ml milk. Put the starter dough in the lit oven or in a warm place to proof [this will take about 20 minutes].
4. While the starter dough is rising, starting bringing the dough together by adding the butter, 1 tablespoon of sugar, orange flower water, egg and approximately 75ml milk. You might need more milk but the dough should not be too watery so add the milk gradually whilst mixing everything with your hands. Keep kneading for about 5 minutes. 
5. Now knead in the rest of the sugar, adding the rest of the sugar now will make sure the dough does not get 'watery'. Knead well until no more sugar is visible on your work top, about a further 5 minutes.
6. Now here's the sticky bit!! Stretch the dough and add the proofed starter dough. The dough might get very sticky but believe me the more you knead the more smooth and soft the dough will get. If you need to add more flour add about a tablespoon on the work top and keep kneading until you get a smooth and spongy dough. Knead for a total of about 10 minutes.
7. After kneading, shape the dough into an oiled bowl and oil the top of the dough ball. Cover and leave to proof for about an hour wither into the lit [not on] oven or in a warm place.
8. After an hour, shape the dough into a sausage like shape and cut a 3 inch (7.5cm) piece from the edge and set aside. Shape the rest of the dough into the loaf. Make sure you get a smooth shaped loaf by folding it on itself. See Yuri's video if you don't know what I mean, link above. :) 
9. Now split the piece of dough we set aside into three pieces, 2 equal pieces and a smaller piece. Dust with flour, so as they won't rise as much as the loaf. Shape the 2 equal pieces into thin cylindrical pieces under you open fingers, this will produce the bone-like shapes. Shape the other tiny piece into a ball.
10. Place the loaf onto a greased baking sheet and put the bone-like pieces on top crossing each other. Make a small indentation in the middle of the loaf and place the tiny dough ball in the middle. See the picture. 
    
11. Place the loaf to proof, covered for a further hour in a warm place.
12. Preheat the oven to 200°C. When the oven reaches 200°C put the loaf in the oven and immediately turn down the temperature to 180°C. This will 'shock' the loaf and give it good crust. Bake for about 20 minutes.
13. Take out of the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar. Tap the loaf to remove any excess sugar.
14. Serve with hot chocolate or with champurrado. I will be doing some champurrado myself soon.

Enjoy!!

R&A