When I’m in Brooklyn, I always stop at Fan Fan Doughnuts to see what Chef Fany Gerson is baking. She always coming up with exciting new things to keep her menu fresh and this fall, she’s gone all out to celebrate Día de Muertos with pan de muerto.
“Pan de muerto is my absolute favorite bread in the entire world, and we eagerly wait to make it! This classic bread is found all around Mexico, but everyone makes it a bit differently. Ours is a buttery bread (not rich like a brioche) flavored with orange zest and orange blossom, finished with a buttery sugary topping.” – Fany
When she texted to tell me she wanted me to try them, I just assumed it would be the traditional orange blossom flavor, which I love, but then she delivered the most beautiful box of pan de muerto, in Mexican-inspired flavors like mango chamoy, and guava and cheese, a take on my favorite donut at the shop. We both agreed that the latter is our favorite in the collection.
All the flavors use the same sweet bread dough that has such a great texture, both tender and fluffy, the perfect vessel for the delicious fillings at the shop. Chef Fany’s recipe below is the one that she uses to make the breads at her shop. It makes two large breads, with 3 variations listed at the bottom.
*This post contains affiliate links.
Pan de Muerto (Dead Man’s Bread)
From Fany Gerson’s My Sweet Mexico Cookbook
Makes 2, Each serves 6-8
This recipe is adapted from Maricu, a chef from Mexico City who owns a cooking school of the same name.
Ingredients
Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
2/3 cup whole milk
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
Topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
Directions
For the dough:
Dissolve the yeast in the orange blossom water. Add 1/3 cup of the milk and 1/2 cup of the flour. Mix well with a whisk (the dough should be sticky and smooth) and leave in a warm place (about 70°F) until it begins to bubble and puffs up slightly, 20 to 30 minutes.
Put the remaining 3 1/2 cups flour in the bowl of a mixer with the hook attachment and mix in the sugar, salt, and orange zest for about 30 seconds. Add the eggs, the remaining 1/3 cup milk, and the yeast dough. Mix at low speed until the dough starts to come together. Add the butter gradually, in small pieces, while continuing to mix, and increase the speed to medium. The dough will look sticky, but resist the temptation to add more flour. Continue beating for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is soft and comes off the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still sticky after 15 minutes of beating, you may now add a little flour, if needed (no more than 1/3 cup).
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or butter and place the dough inside. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place (about 70°F) until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough, gather the sides together, flip over so that the bottom is now the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight (chilling it will slow the fermentation process and make it easier to shape). Remove the dough from the refrigerator, uncover, and place a towel on top. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place (about 70°F) to come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Cut off (don’t pull) a piece of dough about the size of a large lime and reserve to make the “bones.” Divide the remaining dough in half and form into 2 rounds, shaping them on a smooth surface and making sure the dough is compact. Place on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Lightly flatten the tops of the dough rounds with the palm of your hand.
Form some of the reserved dough into 2 gumball-size balls and leave on the baking sheet for later use. Divide the remaining dough into 4 pieces. Roll out with your hands from the center out, making strips that are about 1 inch longer than the width of the rounds. Spread your fingers and press lightly, making knobs that resemble bones. Place 2 strips on top of each bread round, crossing the strips over each other. Cover lightly with a cloth. Let rise in a warm place (about 70°F) until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. To tell whether the dough has doubled, press lightly with your fi nger. It should slowly spring all the way back.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the small reserved balls in the center of the bread rounds, where the strips meet, using a little water to make them stick. Bake until the dough has an even, dark golden color, 20 to 30 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake until the internal temperature is 190°F or the bottom of the bread is browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.
For the topping:
Melt the butter and brush on the breads, being sure to brush all around the knobs and over every inch. Hold each bread by the bottom (if it’s too warm, use gloves or a piece of cardboard to hold it) and sprinkle evenly with sugar all over the top.
Variations
Aniseed
Substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons aniseed for the orange zest and 2 tablespoons whole milk for the orange blossom water.
Cinnamon
Substitute 1 tablespoon coarsely ground toasted canela for the orange zest and 2 tablespoons whole milk for the orange blossom water. Sprinkle the bread with confectioner’s sugar instead of granulated sugar.
Sesame Seed
For a more savory bread, brush the tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup sesame seeds before baking (no butter or sugar is used at the end).
Re-printed with permission from Fany Gerson’s My Sweet Mexico, 2010.