Food serves as the universal bond that unites humanity. At the table, we are all equals, and it's through the lens of food, recipes, and ingredients that the vibrant tapestry of our cultures is revealed. This recipe book embodies that spirit. Beyond...
Merry spooky season, ghouls and girls! It is I, your spooky Uncle Sam here, with a ghastly recipe to celebrate the creepy crawlies and other bizarre accouterments. What will it be, hm? Maybe some fried tarantulas? Bone broth? A nice mandrake salad? Well, that's too common and boring! Why not try something outside the Halloween spirit and more towards... the spirits of the dead? That's right! We will be tackling a delicacy from Mexico's "Dia De Muertos," or day of the dead, and that's "Pan De Muerto," or bread of the dead!
This sweet bread is traditionally made in Mexico during the weeks up to Dia de Muertos, on Nov 1st. The holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. And food. A lot of food. Sugar skulls, hibiscus water, and, most important to us, pan de muerto.
So what is this pan de muerto? It's a simple sweet bread, made with ground anise or aniseed, with lots of eggs, sugar, and a few spooky things!(Like milk. It's very spooky.) It is a very simple bread you can make as an offering to the dead, or a friend, or as a light snack to eat. Let's do this!
INGREDIENTS:
● ¼ cups milk
● ¼ cups water
● 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
● 2 ½ - 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided
● ¼ cups sugar
● 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (one packet)
● 1 ½ tsp ground anise(Or aniseed)
● 1 tsp salt
● 2 large eggs, at room temperature
● 1 egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)
● 1 small orange, zested and juiced (roughly 1/4 c orange juice)
● ¼ c + 1 Tbsp sugar, divided
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a small saucepan heat the milk, water, and butter together until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a shallow, wide bowl to cool to 80-90F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 c flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and anise. Add the cooled milk mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth.
3. Add the remaining 1 ½ - 2 c flour gradually, mixing until each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. Add just as much flour as you need for a soft, but workable dough to form.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, adding any remaining flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the counter. Knead until the dough is smooth and soft, but doesn't stick to your hands.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover it with a damp tea towel and let is rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk, roughly 1 hour.
6. Cut 3 small portions (roughly 1.5 ounces each) and 1 smaller portion (roughly .5 oz) from your dough. Shape the 3 smaller portions into a rope that is roughly 6-7 inches long and has 4 bulges. (These are your 'bones'.) Shape the smallest portion into a small ball (for the top).
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Image Source: The Spruce Eats
7. Shape the remaining larger portion of dough into a large ball and place it on a flour-dusted baking sheet. Brush it with the egg wash and layer the three "bones" across the top. Brush again with egg wash and press the smallest ball into the top where the bones meet. Brush the top ball with egg wash.
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8. Let the dough rise in a warm and draft-free place until puffy and nearly doubled, roughly 35-45 minutes. Near the end of the rising time, move your oven rack to the lowest position (this bread gets tall and having extra space over the top of the bread in the oven will help it not darken so quickly) and preheat your oven to 350F.
9. Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped. (The internal temperature taken with an instant read thermometer should read 170F.) If the crust looks like it is getting too brown for your liking towards the end of baking, you can tent it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
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10. While the bread is baking, make the glaze: Heat ¼ c sugar together with the zest and juice of one small orange. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If necessary, strain the glaze of any orange pulp and set the strained glaze aside.
11. When the bread is done, brush the warm loaf with the glaze and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
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