Celebrate tradition with this beautifully crafted Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muerto)! Soft, lightly sweet, and flavored with a hint of citrus and anise, this bread is traditionally baked to honor loved ones during Día de los Muertos. With its signature bone-like shapes and sugar topping, it's not only delicious but also a meaningful way to connect with this rich cultural celebration. Perfect for sharing with family and friends as part of your Day of the Dead festivities, or anytime!
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- How to shape Mexican Day of the Dead bread
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat Pan de Muerto
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- Day of the Dead Bread
- 💬 Comments
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🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- This traditional bread of Mexico is easy to make and absolutely delicious with just a hint of orange flavor. It makes delicious toast!
- Day of the Dead bread is traditionally served on November 1 and 2 but it's delicious any time!
- Dough is kneaded well when it feels a bit like your earlobe when you press it between two fingers.
Although there are a lot of ingredients the dough goes together quickly and easily so don't let the list scare you off.
Exploring Mexican culture with this authentic pan de muerto recipe is a fun family project, too!
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Each region of Mexico has it's own version of how this delicious bread should be shaped. You can make it in other shapes like human figures, angels, or hearts.
- Some people flavor it with orange flower water.
- The bread is sometimes dusted with colored sugars. Pink is one popular color.
- In some areas it is flavored with lime instead of orange.
- If you don't want to use anise seed you can use ground anise or leave it out completely.
- You can omit the vital wheat gluten but the crust will be less crispy and the inside a little less tender.
- You can melt orange marmalade and brush it over the finished bread for the glaze if you prefer not to make the syrup.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Mix the dough
- Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl and set aside to proof.
- Mix milk, butter, and eggs.
- Combine one cup of flour, wheat gluten (if using), orange zest, anise seed, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside.
- Heat the milk and butter in a medium
mixing bowl until butter is melted. Set aside to cool to 110F. Pour the yeast and the milk mixtures into the flour mixture.
Let dough rise
- Add the remaining flour a little at a time until a soft dough forms but is not overly sticky. Watch the video and you'll be able to tell what the texture should be.
- Place in a large
mixing bowl that has been buttered. Brush melted butter (not too hot!) over the top. - Cover with a clean tea towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled - about 1 hour. (This image should NOT say "just one cup for now")
- Punch down.
How to shape Mexican Day of the Dead bread
- Separate ⅓ of the dough out and roll the rest into a round, slightly flat, loaf.
- Roll part of the remaining dough into a ball to make a knob for the top.
- Roll the remaining dough into thin logs or ropes shaped to resemble bones and arrange over the loaf and under the knob on top.
- Place on a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet. Let the loaf rise for about 1 hour. Bake as directed in the recipe card below.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Try dusting the loaf with colored sugar. Pink, green, or orange sugars are especially pretty on this loaf.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
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🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat Pan de Muerto
Store in an airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap for a day or two.
Freeze for longer storage. To freeze: wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil (or plastic wrap - then a freezer container) and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat slices for a VERY few seconds in the microwave or wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and place in a 350F oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through.
Marye's Tip o' the day
If you'd like to omit the orange glaze you can brush the bread before baking with an egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water. It gives the crust a nice glossy look.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
Following these tips will help you create the perfect Pan de Muerto for your Día de los Muertos celebration!
- Make sure your yeast is fresh and active for the best rise and soft texture. Proof it in warm water with a little sugar to ensure it's bubbly and ready to work.
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature or before you begin.
- You can make the dough for Day of the Dead bread (Dia de los Muertos) the day before and refrigerate overnight
- If you want a soft crust cover the bread with a clean towel and let it cool.
- The glaze and sugar will go on better if you brush ¼ of the hot bread with glaze, sprinkle with sugar, and then move on to the next ¼.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
It's a type of Mexican pan dulce (sweet bread) that's traditionally baked for Día de Muertos, celebrated from November 1st to November 2nd.
Brush with the orange glaze, and/or sprinkle with sugar, powdered sugar, or brightly colored sugar.
Anise is traditional but you could use ground anise, a little anise flavoring, or leave it out completely.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
You can let it rise in the refrigerator overnight then shape and let it rise a final time the next day. Once you've kneaded the dough well oil it all over and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that you've sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. Be sure to shape and bake the loaf within 24 hours.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
If the bread gets a little stale slice it and make French toast with it. Delish! You can also cube it and make the most delicious pumpkin bread pudding.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
There are SO many ways to enjoy this delicious bread - and you don't have to use the traditional shape if you want to just make it into round loaves.
It makes amazing French toast and it delicious for any fall brunch. Try it just once and you'll make it often, I swear.
When I homeschooled I liked to dive into other cultures with food and movies. I think it helps us understand other viewpoints and traditions.
This would be a great family project to follow the movie, Coco, for example. You could serve traditional Mexican sweet breads for snacks!
Try serving this with this Halloween cheese ball for spooky fun!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Day of the Dead Bread
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ¼ cup water, 110F
- ¼ cup sugar, divided use
- 1 package active dry yeast
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten, optional
- 2 tablespoons anise seed
- 2 teaspoons orange zest, about 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, if using table salt use just ¼ teaspoon
Glaze
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and the yeast to the 110F water. Stir and set aside.
- Heat the milk until it simmers then remove from the heat and add the butter. Set aside to cool to 110F.
- Combine one cup of the flour, wheat gluten (if using), orange zest, anise seed, and salt in the bowl of your mixer and blend.
- Add the eggs to the 110F milk mixture, beating with a fork until blended.
- Pour the yeast and the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
- With the paddle attachment of your mixer blend on low.
- Add the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough is soft but not overly sticky. You may not need all the flour or you may need a little more.
- Use the dough hook on the mixer and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and stretchy. It will feel a bit like your earlobe when you press it between two fingers.
- Place in a bowl that has been buttered and brush butter over the top. Cover and let rise until double - about 1 hour.
- Punch down and pull off about ⅓ of the dough. Set it aside.
- Shape the remaining dough into a round. Now take a walnut sized ball of the dough you set aside and make a knob on top of the round. Roll the remaining dough into 4 to 8 roped shaped like bones. Place vertically around the round loaf, from the knob on top to the bottom.
- Place on a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet. Let the loaf rise for about 1 hour.
- While the bread is rising make the glaze by boiling the sugar and orange juice together for about 3 minutes. Set it aside.
- Bake at 350F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and brush with the glaze. Sprinkle with sugar.
Notes
- You can make the dough for Day of the Dead bread the day before and refrigerate overnight
- Fresh orange juice is best for the glaze if you've got some nice juicy oranges lying around.
- If you want a soft crust cover the bread with a clean towel and let it cool.
- The glaze and sugar will go on better if you brush ¼ of the hot bread with glaze, sprinkle with sugar, and then move on to the next ¼.
- You can melt orange marmalade and brush it over the finished bread for the glaze if you prefer not to make the syrup.
- Pan dulce breads are best the day they are made but they freeze well. Let cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- If your delicious pan de muerto bread gets a little stale slice it and make French toast with it. Delish!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published October 22, 2020. Last updated October 25, 2024 for editorial improvements and readability.
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Twila says
I'm making this today, but I like to make the dough, in the bread machine, makes my like much easier!! It makes the house smell wonderful!! I just used a teaspoon of the anise, because it tends to be too strong for me! I'm sure it's gonna be great!!
Marye says
Let me know!