Simplified Pan de Muerto

This pan de muerto recipe is a single-rise batter bread, in contrast with most recipes I've seen for it which require kneading and multiple rises. It's also a very small batch, suitable for probably 1 muffin tin. For a full loaf double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients

  • Bread
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 tsp orange zest
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp anise seeds
    • 4 tbsp butter
    • 1 tbsp orange blossom water
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 1 tsp instant yeast
    • 1 egg
  • Glaze
    • 1/4 cup orange juice
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Materials

  • Mixing bowl
  • Additional bowls
  • Hand mixer (optional)
  • Loaf pan or muffin tin

Procedure

  1. Combine flour, salt, orange zest, and anise seeds.
  2. Melt Butter
  3. Mix sugar, milk, and orange blossom water.
  4. Warm the milk mixture to a little over 100 F (about 30 seconds in the microwave).
  5. Stir the milk mixture until the sugar is dissolved.
  6. Add yeast to the milk mixture and stir to combined.
  7. After a few minutes, once the yeast has bloomed, combine all remaining bread ingredients.
  8. Mix until the batter is soft and smooth and gets a bit of stretch to it.
  9. Rise in a greased pan for 45 minutes.
  10. Bake at 400 F until the interior is 190 F, about 18 minutes for a single loaf or less for muffins.
  11. While the bread is baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
  12. Once the bread is out of the oven and the glaze is cool, pour the glaze over the top of the bread. You can optionally poke the top of the bread with a fork to help the glaze soak in.