From Coco · 2017 · Reconstructed
Pan de Muerto
Serve when
The moment Mamá Elena sets the ofrenda table — the domed, bone-topped loaf goes down beside the marigolds and the framed photographs.
In the movie
Theatrical
- 00:10:09 The Rivera women lay out the ofrenda for Día de Muertos — the round, bone-decorated sweet bread takes its place among the candles, marigolds, and family photographs
Pan de muerto only gets a few seconds of screen time, set on the ofrenda table as the Rivera women build the altar for their dead. It's easy to miss next to the marigolds and the photographs, but it's exactly the kind of detail the film's cultural consultants pushed to get right: pan de muerto isn't decoration on a Day of the Dead altar, it's food literally baked to be shared with ancestors who are only welcome to visit for one night a year.
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- To finish:
Method
- Warm the milk and dissolve the yeast in it with a pinch of the sugar; let it foam for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, remaining sugar, anise seed, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl. Work in the softened butter, then add the eggs, orange blossom water, and the yeast mixture. Mix and knead until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough, about 10 minutes.
- Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 2 hours.
- Set aside about a quarter of the dough. Shape the rest into a round loaf on a parchment-lined sheet. From the reserved dough, roll thin ropes and shape them into crossed "bones" and a small ball for the top, pressing them onto the loaf.
- Let rise again, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Bake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes, until deep golden and it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Brush the warm loaf all over with melted butter, then roll or dust it thoroughly in sugar while it's still warm and tacky.
Substitutions
- Orange blossom water: if you can't find a bottle, an extra tablespoon of orange zest gets you most of the way there, though the perfume is a little different.
- Anise seed: ground anise works in a pinch, or a few drops of anise extract — start light, since extract is much stronger.
Beyond the recipe
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