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Saturday, October 31, 2009

dead bread


T
his is a time of fiesta so what better way than with bread. Bread for the dead or dead bread or pan de muerto is a sweet little loaf. (No one calls it 'dead bread' or 'bread for the dead', I interjected a translation)



Anyone can make this bread if they want to - it takes about three hours from start to finish. Here is a common and basic recipe:

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 6 cups flour
  • 2 packets dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons whole anise seed
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • Glaze (see below)

Preparation:

Bring all ingredients to room temperature (except for the water which should be very warm) before beginning.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, anise, salt and 1/2 cup of the flour. In a seperate bowl combine the eggs and the water. Add the egg/water mixture to the first mixture and add in another 1/2 cup of the flour. Add in the yeast and another 1/2 cup of flour. Continue to add the flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms.

Knead on a floured surface for about 1 minute. Cover with a slightly damp dishcloth and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Bring out dough and punch it down. Remove about 1/4 of it and use it to make bone shapes to drape across the loaf (see below.) Or divide the dough into smaller pieces to create other bone shapes. Let the shaped dough rise for 1 more hour.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes for smaller loaves and up to 45 minutes for larger loaves.

GLAZES (After glaze is applied you may decorate with additional colored sugar.)

  • Bring to a boil- 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice. Brush on bread and then sift some additional sugar over the top.

  • Mix 3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate and 1/3 cup sugar with 2 egg whites. Brush on bread during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

  • Bring to a boil- 1/4 cup piloncillo, 1/4 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cranberry juice and 2 tablespoons orange zest. Brush on bread after bread has cooled.

BONES The most common bone decorations are very simple. Sometimes it's just a matter of forming ball shapes and pressing them into the loaf in a line. You could also take a piece of dough, roll it into a long cylinder and place a ball at each end. You can get much more detailed if you like, but even a slighly "knobby" looking loaf will get the idea across.

27 comments:

Marjie said...

Sounds delectable. I love a good sweet bread!

chow and chatter said...

very cool bread great job your such a good cook

Ciao Chow Linda said...

That sounds like something I wouldn't mind eating right now with a cup of tea.

Jenn said...

Love it. Im' a sucker for breads. lol. I'm going to try this for sure.

Tangled Noodle said...

Good thing it's 'dead bread' because I'd be tearing into it, zombie-like ('Brreeeaaaddd')!

Anonymous said...

How very apprpriate that it be called that ! : ) ...Hope you had a spoooooooky halloween : ) ...!

snugs said...

Are you kidding me? An actual recipe with ingredients incuding measurements from my man the dog? Wow, it's a brand new day in the neighborhood isn't it???!!!!

Christo Gonzales said...

marjie: tea - sweet coffee or cocoa - this bread is the one.

chow: thanks I try hard

ciao: you would be making a wise choice

jenn: its a good bread

tangled: tear it up - seriously

nat: I wish I made up everything

snugs: change is partial and slow at best...

Cucinista said...

I think this would make a very appropriate food for day of the dead. Might bring me back to life...

Anonymous said...

Is it sweet like bolos levados? It sure looks delicious- gotta give it a try!

Donna-FFW said...

Looks more like a not so endowed boner than a bone to me.

About to pass out.. an actual recipe.

♥peachkins♥ said...

beautiful bread...

vanillasugarblog said...

I thought that was a chicken at first glance. LOL
But now that I see it, it's a perfect bread--love the anise in there.

snowelf said...

I love the design--and I bet the bread is fabulous! I so need a personal chef...

--snow

Angie's Recipes said...

I love bread, all kinds of bread!
Dead bread looks great!

lisaiscooking said...

The anise seeds and orange zest sound fantastic in this. And, TN's wanted dead or alive tweet was great!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

I just heard about this a few days ago, and made my (altered to my skill level) attempt. I now love bread!

Greta post

buffalodick said...

Sounds like it would eat pretty well!

tavolini said...

Looks great! And a recipe, too :)

Hope you guys had a great Halloween!

Unknown said...

It reminds me of churros for some reason...oh I love bread!

Anonymous said...

I plan to try making rolls this year for Thanksgiving.

So far, I've only tried pizza dough, but I've had sucessful so it's time to move up.

Looks good.

teresa said...

there is a very good chance that i will have this made and eaten before i go to bed tonight, delicious!

Reeni said...

Spooky Bone Bread! Eat me if you dare! I love a good sweet bread. It looks great.

Tanya Kristine said...

What's it taste like>?

mely said...

wow!
It looks exactly like the ones sold in my hometown in Mexico. And the recipe ingredients the original used around the country these time of the year to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Great baking, congrats!

Mo Diva said...

went to 2nd ave yesterday and saw a beautiful display on dia de los muertos. And lots of "dead bread"

Anonymous said...

Great looking bread, I've never had one and looking forward to trying it!

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