{"id":12988,"date":"2019-11-01T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=12988"},"modified":"2019-11-05T07:19:52","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T12:19:52","slug":"recipe-day-of-the-dead-bread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/recipe-day-of-the-dead-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Recipe: Day of the Dead Bread"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is the availability of\u00a0pan de muerto\u00a0<\/em>or Day of the Dead bread. In Mexico, people have their selected\u00a0panaderias<\/em> or bakeries where they regularly get their\u00a0pan de muerto.\u00a0<\/em>Last year, a friend of mine invited me to her house to bake the bread together, and, while it was a lot of work, the breads we made turned out delicious. This year, I am making it again and in this post, I want to share with you the recipe, tips for making it and a few varieties.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Razi Machay found on Flickr.com with license CC BY-SA 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n

Los ingredientes<\/h3>\n

Lets start with the ingredients or ingredientes<\/em>\u00a0for this delicious bread. You will need the following:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 30g<\/em>\u00a0levadura<\/em> (yeast)<\/li>\n
  • 1\/4<\/em>\u00a0tazas de agua tibia\u00a0<\/em>(warm water)<\/li>\n
  • 6 tazas de harina <\/em>(cups of flour)<\/li>\n
  • 5 huevos<\/em> (eggs)<\/li>\n
  • 1 lata de leche condensada<\/em> (1 can of condensed milk)<\/li>\n
  • 5 yemas<\/em> (yolks)<\/li>\n
  • 250g de mantequilla<\/em> (butter)<\/li>\n
  • 2 cucharadas de agua de azahar<\/em> (spoons of orange blossom water)<\/li>\n
  • 2 huevos para barnizar<\/em> (eggs to glaze)<\/li>\n
  • 1-4 tazas de az\u00facar granulada para espolvorear<\/em> (cups of granulated sugar to sprinkle)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    A few notes on the ingredients:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • The water is only needed if the type of yeast you buy asks for it. The yeast I used just needs to be mixed with the flour so check this before.<\/li>\n
    • Normally, you would use regular flour, but you can substitute it for whole wheat or\u00a0integral.<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Eggs for the recipe should be medium size<\/li>\n
    • In the Netherlands, we have baking butter and regular butter. I’ve used both and it comes out delicious either way.<\/li>\n
    • Orange blossom water can be found in the “international” isle of your local grocery store. I found a Turkish brand. You can also use orange blossom essence, but check for portion.<\/li>\n
    • You can substitute the orange blossom water for orange zest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      La receta<\/h3>\n

      Now lets focus on the steps to make the\u00a0pan de muerto.\u00a0<\/em>For the sake of clarity, I will write them in both languages.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Disuelva la levadura en el agua tibia, agregue 1\/2 taza de harina, forme una pastita y deje reposar 15 minutos<\/em>.
        \n(Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, add 1\/2 cups of flour, create a paste and let it sit for 15 minutes.)<\/li>\n
      2. Cierna la harina restante sobre una mesa o tabla de amasar, y forme un hueco en el centro. Agregue los huevos, la leche condensada, las yemas, la mantequilla y el agua de azahar.
        \n<\/em>(Sift the remaining flour on a table or a kneading table\/matt, and leave a hole in the center of the flour. Add the eggs, condensed milk, yolks, butter and orange blossom water.<\/li>\n
      3. Mezcle con las manos, a\u00f1adiendo la masa de levadura que dej\u00f3 en reposo.
        \n<\/em>(Mix with your hands adding the yeast mix that you previously let sit.)<\/li>\n
      4. Siga amasando hasta que se despegue de la mesa.
        \n<\/em>(Continue kneading until the dough lifts from the table.)<\/li>\n
      5. Vac\u00ede en un molde ligeramente engrasado y deje reposar 2 horas aproximadamente, hasta que su tama\u00f1o sea el doble.
        \n<\/em>(Place the dough on a slightly greased bowl and let it sit for approximately 2 hours until it has doubled in size.)<\/li>\n
      6. Divida la masa en 4 partes y separe una peque\u00f1a porci\u00f3n de cada una para los adornos.
        \n<\/em>(Divide the dough in 4 parts and separate a small portion of each part for the decoration.)<\/li>\n
      7. Coloca las 4 porciones grandes en una charola para hornear con suficiente espacio entre cada una. Usa la porci\u00f3n peque\u00f1a de cada una para hacer los “huesitos” y “el craneo.”
        \n<\/em>(Place the four big portions on a baking sheet with ample room in between. Use the small portions to make the little bones\u00a0 and skull for decorations.)<\/li>\n
      8. Deja nuevamente reposar en un lugar tibio hasta que doble su volumen.
        \n<\/em>(Let it sit once again in a lukewarm place until it doubles it size.)<\/li>\n
      9. Precaliente el horno a 200\u00b0 C\/ 400\u00b0 F.
        \n<\/em>(Preheat oven to 200\u00b0 C\/400\u00b0 F.)<\/li>\n
      10. Barnice con huevo y espolvoree con az\u00facar.\u00a0<\/em>
        \n(Glaze with the eggs and sprinkle with sugar.)<\/li>\n
      11. Hornee 30 minutos o hasta que dore ligeramente.
        \n<\/em>(Bake for 30 minutes or until it is slightly golden.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Consejos<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • You can certainly use your mixer instead of mixing everything on the table. Just make sure you add the ingredients slowly.<\/li>\n
        • Be patient and strong with your kneading. If your surface gets very sticky, keep on kneading until the bits slowly stick to the dough.<\/li>\n
        • Instead of making 4 smaller breads, you can choose to make two big ones. Once it is baked, cut like a cake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Variedades<\/h3>\n
            \n
          • \u00a0You can opt for the more traditional bread that has no sprinkled sugar.<\/li>\n
          • In the state of Puebla, pan de muerto<\/em> can be found sprinkled with\u00a0ajonjol\u00ed<\/em> or sesame seeds instead of sugar.<\/li>\n
          • You can substitute the orange blossom water for anise or\u00a0an\u00eds.<\/em><\/li>\n
          • You can use colourful sugar. Traditionally, you would use red or pink which simbolizes blood.<\/li>\n
          • There are certainly vegan varieties. You can see one recipe in the video below.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n