Dead Mans Bread Mexican Recipe

  • Comments Off on Dead Mans Bread Mexican Recipe

Recipe Category: Bread

pagect=recipes,popular-recipes,bread,:recipes,popular-recipes,most-popular,popular+bread

Dead Mans Bread Mexican Recipe

Ingredients

Recipe for: Pan de Muerto

Makes 2, EACH SERVES 6 to 8

Dough

  • 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Topping

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup sugar

Method

TO MAKE THE DOUGH, dissolve the yeast in the orange blossom water

  1. Add ? cup of the milk and ½ cup of the flour
  2. Mix well with a whisk (the dough should be sticky and smooth) and leave in a warm place (about 70°F) until it begins to bubble and puffs up slightly, 20 to 30 minutes
  3. Put the remaining 3½ cups flour in the bowl of a mixer with the hook attachment and mix in the sugar, salt, and orange zest for about 30 seconds
  4. Add the eggs, the remaining ? cup milk, and the yeast dough
  5. Mix at low speed until the dough starts to come together
  6. Add the butter gradually, in small pieces, while continuing to mix, and increase the speed to medium
  7. The dough will look sticky, but resist the temptation to add more flour
  8. Continue beating for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is soft and comes off the sides of the bowl
  9. If the dough is still sticky after 15 minutes of beating, you may now add a little flour, if needed (no more than ? cup)
  10. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or butter and place the dough inside
  11. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place (about 70°F) until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours
  12. Punch down the dough, gather the sides together, flip over so that the bottom is now the top, and cover with plastic wrap
  13. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight (chilling it will slow the fermentation process and make it easier to shape)
  14. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, uncover, and place a towel on top
  15. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place (about 70°F) to come to room temperature, about 1 hour
  16. Cut off (don’t pull) a piece of dough about the size of a large lime and reserve to make the bones
  17. Divide the remaining dough in half and form into 2 rounds, shaping them on a smooth surface and making sure the dough is compact
  18. Place on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
  19. Lightly flatten the tops of the dough rounds with the palm of your hand
  20. Form some of the reserved dough into 2 gumball-size balls and leave on the baking sheet for later use
  21. Divide the remaining dough into 4 pieces
  22. Roll out with your hands from the center out, making strips that are about 1 inch longer than the width of the rounds
  23. Spread your fingers and press lightly, making knobs that resemble bones
  24. Place 2 strips on top of each bread round, crossing the strips over each other
  25. Cover lightly with a cloth
  26. Let rise in a warm place (about 70°F) until doubled in size, about 1½ hours
  27. To tell whether the dough has doubled, press lightly with your finger
  28. It should slowly spring all the way back
  29. Preheat the oven to 350°F
  30. Place the small reserved balls in the center of the bread rounds, where the strips meet, using a little water to make them stick
  31. Bake until the dough has an even, dark golden color, 20 to 30 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake until the internal temperature is 190°F or the bottom of the bread is browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer
  32. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack

TO MAKE THE TOPPING, melt the butter and brush on the breads, being sure to brush all around the knobs and over every inch

  1. Hold each bread by the bottom (if it’s too warm, use gloves or a piece of cardboard to hold it) and sprinkle evenly with sugar all over the top

Variation: ANISEED Substitute 1½ teaspoons aniseed for the orange zest and 2 tablespoons whole milk for the orange blossom water

Variation: CINNAMON Substitute 1 tablespoon coarsely ground toasted canela for the orange zest and 2 tablespoons whole milk for the orange blossom water Sprinkle the bread with confectioner’s sugar instead of granulated sugar

Variation: SESAME SEED For a more savory bread, brush the tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with about ½ cup sesame seeds before baking (no butter or sugar is used at the end)

Full List of Bread Recipes
Full List of Dessert Recipes

Comments are closed.