Pan de Muerto
This bread can be shaped into calaveras, angels, animals etc. for the Day of
the Dead.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
5 to 5-1/2 cups flour
2 packages dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon whole anise seed
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
Over medium flame, heat the butter, milk and water until very warm but not boiling.
Meanwhile, measure out 1-1/2 cups flour and set the rest aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar. Beat in the warm liquid until well combined. Add the eggs and beat in another 1 cup of flour. Continue adding more flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Knead on lightly floured board for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
Lightly grease a bowl and place dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape into loaves resembling skulls, skeletons or round loaves with "bones" placed ornamentally around the top. Let these loaves rise for 1 hour.
Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and paint on glaze.
Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then apply to bread with a pastry brush.
You can sprinkle on colored sugar while glaze is still damp.
Another Version of Pan de Muertos
Ingredients:
1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of anise seed
2 packets of dry yeast
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of butter
4 eggs
3 - 4 1/2 cups of flour
Preparation:
Mix all dry ingredients together except the 3 - 4 1/2 cups of flour.
In a small pan, heat the milk, the water, and the butter. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture.
Beat well.
Mix in the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of flour. Beat well.
Put in the rest of the flour, little by little.
Knead the mixture on a floured board for 9 - 10 minutes.
Put the dough in a greased bowl and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour and a half at sea level).
Punch the dough down and reshape it with some "bone" shapes on top to decorate it.
Let it rise another hour.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 40 minutes.
After baking, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar and colored sugar.