It has been a very long time since I have posted on here so I figured it had to be something good! So I am giving you guys my Pan de Muerto recipe that I ran at the restaurant for Dia de los Muertos. I know I may be a gringo but growing up with Hispanic culture has played deeply into my culinary career and personal development; might be part of the reason I am a self proclaimed Gringtino.
This bread is really awesome because it is so flavorful with hints of orange and sweetness that pair pretty much with anything; I served mine with champurrado (if you want that recipe, let me know).
So without further a do, here is the recipe!
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 oz dry active yeast (2 packets)
1 teaspoon ground anise seed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
2 one inch strips orange zest
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
____________________________________________________
First, mix together all dry ingredients minus the flour, going to save that for a while later.
In a sauce pan, heat the milk, water, and butter with the orange zest. After simmering for 3-5 minutes, 'til its nice and aromatic, remove orange zest carefully and add in the orange blossom water.
Take the wet ingredients still warm from the stove and mix well with all the dry ingredients you already combined. Add the eggs and slowly begin to add the flour until you get that nice dough consistency; slightly sticky and with some give.
Take your dough and knead it for about 10 minutes on a floured surface to really get the texture the way you want it.
Once the dough is just right, place it in a greased bowl and cover. Hide this is in a warm place for about 1 hr-1 1/2 hrs, or until it has doubled in size.
Punch down the dough after it has risen and reform it into your desired shape for your loaf. At this point, break off some of the dough to for bones, skulls, or other decorative touches to the top of your bread. A trick if you have never done this, just make "snakes" of dough and criss-cross over the top of the loaf. Once done, place it back in the bowl and let rise another hour.
Preheat that oven to 350 F. And bake your pan for 40 minutes, til nice and golden.
While it is in the oven, prepare your glaze. I like to make mine with sugar, orange juice, and some orange zest, simmered over a few minutes to make a syrup and poured on once it comes out of the oven.
____________________________________________________
I'm thinking about sticking with my recipes from the restaurant just to keep things fun and hopefully use you guys as a focus group so any feedback would be awesome!!
Alright I'm off to find sunshine in a shot glass. Happy Sunday Funday!
