El Día de los Muertos

Oct 25



El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is fast approaching.

El Día de los Muertos celebrations occur during the first days of November. Joyful celebrations occur - people throw parties, celebrations and parades. Families travel to graveside with memories of those who have died to have picnics with favorite foods and music. Typically, there are two celebrations honoring the memory of loved ones who have died. On November 1st, the souls of the children are honored and on November 2nd the souls of the adults are remembered. 

I became fascinated with this holiday and the customs that surround this celebration.  I decided to share a recipe for a semisweet yeast bread that is commonly found on the altars or ofrendas - Pan de Muertos. The bread itself can be decorated with strips of dough that replicate bones and at the top you may find skull.

    

Pan de Muertos 
 Note:  Please do not try to hurry this dough along; the flavor will develop better with slow rising. Also, another important note is to use an electric mixer with dough hook, this dough can be rather messy to handle.

The starter
  • 1 pound (450g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for bowl and working surface
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Unsalted butter, for greasing bowl
The dough
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 7 ounces unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing baking sheets
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for board and bowl
  • 8 egg yolks, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
  • About 1/4 cup  water
  • grated rind of 1 orange
The glaze
  • 4 egg yolks, well beaten
  • About 1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
For the starter: Put the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast into a mixing bowl and gradually beat in the water and eggs. Continue beating until the dough forms a cohesive mass around the dough hook. It should be sticky, elastic, and shiny, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and form into a round cushion. Butter a clean bowl and sprinkle well with flour. Place the dough into it, cover with greased waxed paper and a towel, and set aside in a warm place—ideally about 70°F until the dough has doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

For the dough:
Tear the starter into pieces and put it, the sugar, and the butter into the bowl of a mixer and mix well with the dough hook, gradually beating in the flour alternately with the yolks. Beat in the water and flavoring—you should have a slightly sticky, smooth, shiny dough that just holds its shape. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and form into a round cushion shape.

Butter a clean bowl and dust well with flour and place the dough in it. Cover with greased waxed paper and a towel, and set aside in a warm place, about 70°F, until it is almost doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.  Liberally grease four baking sheets—two for main "bodies" and two for the "heads and bones." Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide into two equal pieces. Set one piece aside under plastic wrap while you work with the first.
Take three-fourths of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Press it out to a circle about 8 inches in diameter—it should be about 1 inch thick. Press around the edge of the dough to form a narrow ridge of about 1 inch —like the brim of a hat—and transfer to one of the baking sheets. Cover loosely with greased waxed paper and set aside in a warm place, about 70°F to rise about half its size again, about 1 hour.

Divide the remaining one-quarter of dough into four equal parts. Roll one piece into a smooth ball—that will be the head. Roll out the other three pieces into strips about 8 inches long, forming knobs as you do it. Place these onto a second tray, cover as before, and set aside to rise for about 1 hour. Repeat the steps to form the second bread.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). At the end of the rising period, place the three bones at regular intervals across the dough with the round ball in the middle and make two indentations for eyes.  Brush the surface of the dough with the beaten eggs and bake until well browned and springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the heat off, open the oven door, and let the breads sit for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the breads to racks, brush with the melted butter, and sprinkle well with the sugar. It is best to let the breads cool off for about 2 hours before eating. If well stored, they will keep soft for several days and, in fact, improve in flavor. 



Quien con la esperanza vive, alegre muere.

Sunday, October 25, 2009 | |

 

1 comments:

PDX Man said...

I like the day of los muertos also. It is All Souls Day and was a holiday for us Catholic school boys :)

October 29, 2009 at 11:26 PM  

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