Here is my Sourdough Pan de Muerto recipe from Pan y Dulce as a way to honor my father

and share my memories of him with you. Enjoy!

We are 11 days away from publication! I can’t believe it. Today, I am giving you, my dedicated subscribers, the Pan de Muerto recipe from my book Pan y Dulce: The Latin American Baking Book. This weekend is a time to celebrate and honor our loved ones that have passed.

**By the way, I am SO CLOSE to achieving my pre-order goal of 1,000 pre-orders. If you have been thinking about pre-ordering, now would be the time to pre-order Pan y Dulce! Every single one of these pre-orders goes a very, very long way for me. This helps the book have a chance to become an NYT best seller, as well as signifies to all of the big retailers how much demand there is for the book. I can’t thank y’all enough.**

On October 31, 2022, not long after I submitted this manuscript for review, my father passed away. After hanging up the phone and hearing this news, I was a bit frantic and needed to take a long walk and process everything, as well as call my siblings and my mom. I knew I would need to fly down to Honduras in a few days – but I was overcome with the need to bake bread to bring to him – and not just any bread. I knew that I wanted to honor my father with Pan de Muerto, as October 31 is actually the beginning of the celebration known as  El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). This is a time in Mexico where friends and family gather to honor those who have passed away and to pay respects to their memories, and although we are not Mexican, my heart felt the need to honor this tradition. Honestly, I wish I was able to bake for him more often, and I didn’t want to miss this chance to put one more loaf of bread in his hands.

Pan de Muerto is considered a Pan Dulce, and it is actually quite tasty. Not all pan de muerto is alike, with different varieties found throughout the states of Mexico. You might find some filled with chocolate, topped with sesame seeds, sugar, or even pastry cream. One constant is the flavor of the dough, with hints of citrus and anise permeating the soft, chewy interior. The bread is shaped into a ball, but some of the dough is separated to layer on top with shapes of bones or a skull. I’ve talked before about the first bread I have ever baked in my life and it was a cinnamon raisin loaf for my dad.

He loved it – it was so burnt and underbaked, but he ate the whole thing. Naturally, I made a cinnamon raisin dough because I knew that he would love to enjoy it. I have never had to deal with the death of a close loved one before, and although it was not an easy time nor does it get easier to digest the fact that he is gone, I am very appreciative of the fact that baking bread is something that connects me to him, and this tradition will live on forever. I will always go down to San Pedro Sula and honor his memory with Pan de Muerto.  If you ever want to find a way to celebrate the memory of a loved one, this delicious and delicately soft pan dulce is a good way to go. 

Makes 2

Mixing Method: Hand 

Pre Ferment 

50 grams (1/4 cup) mature sourdough starter

50 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) bread flour

50 grams (scant 1/2 cup) whole wheat four

5 grams (1 teaspoon) granulated sugar

2 grams (1 teaspoon) ground anise

100 grams (1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons) warm water

In a tall jar or large container that has a lid, mix together the flours, water, and mature sourdough starter with your hand or a fork. Ensure that no dry flour remains at the bottom. 

Make sure the container is covered and let it rest at room temperature (ideally between 70-80f) for 4 hours. It should double in size and have a firm, bubbly structure on the top. Once the pre-ferment is ready to use, you can start baking straight away or place it in your fridge for later use (up to 2 days) 

Dough

300 grams (2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour

200 grams (1 1/2 cups + 1 1/2 tablespoons) bread flour

75 grams (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) packed brown sugar

250 grams (1 cup + 2 teaspoons) whole milk

2 large eggs

50 grams (3 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

10 grams (1 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) anise

6 grams (2 teaspoons) kosher salt

200 grams (1 scant cup) sourdough preferment

Zest of 1/2 large orange

Topping

Granulated sugar or sesame seeds, for dusting

1 large egg, pinch of salt for egg wash

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix with your hands until there is no dry flour left. Turn the dough out onto the countertop and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough smooths out. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and let ferment at room temperature for 4 hours, covered. Transfer to the fridge for an additional 12 hours.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. On a clean work surface dusted with all-purpose flour, turn out your dough and divide it into two equal pieces. From each piece, separate 50 grams of dough (about the size of a small clementine) and set aside. Shape each large piece into tight balls. Set aside.

From the smaller 50 gram pieces, separate one 15-gram piece (about the size of a gumball). You should now havetwo 15-gram gum-ball-sized pieces and two 35-gram new-potato-sized pieces. 

Roll each of the 35-gram pieces into as long a log as possible. Cut each log in half. Use your knuckles to roll each log back and forth, creating indentations in the dough. Shape each of the two 15-gram pieces into small balls.

On each large, rounded piece of dough, overlay two indented dough logs in an X, tucking the ends of the logs underneath the round. Then place one 15-gram ball on top, where the logs cross.

Place your breads on the lined sheet and proof for 3 hours. 

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Whisk together one egg, a splash of milk, and a pinch of salt. Brush each pan de muerto gently with the egg wash. On one of them, sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Dust the plain one with sugar when they come out of the oven. Let them cool on a wire rack before serving.