This Pan de Muerto recipe is easy to make even for beginner bakers. This Mexican sweet roll is eaten for the Dia de los Muertos and also placed as an ofrenda on the altars. 

Pan de Muerto, a traditional sweet roll that is made on November 2nd for el Dia de Muertos is an important part of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.

We always celebrate the Day of the Dead at home; it gives us an opportunity to remember and celebrate the lives of those loved ones that have passed away. We usually build an altar with photos of my grandparents and my aunt and uncle and we tell the kids stories about those family members that they never got to meet. They love hearing about their ancestors about their roots.

Pan de Muerto is one of the main traditional Day of the Dead foods in Mexico. Pan de muerto is not only consumed for Día De Los Muertos but it is also added to ofrendas. If you are spending Day of the Dead in Mexico City you can even attend the Pan de Muerto festival!  There are many different pan de muerto recipes

History of Pan de Muerto

Pan de Muerto, or “Bread of the Dead,” holds a special place in the heart of Mexican traditions, particularly during the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivities. Its history is rich and deeply intertwined with indigenous rituals and Catholic influences. This sweet, soft bread is a symbolic offering to honor deceased loved ones and is an essential element of the ofrendas, or altars, during the Dia de los Muertos celebrations.

The origins of Pan de Muerto can be traced back to the Aztecs and their rituals dedicated to Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead. They offered human-shaped dough figures, which eventually evolved into the bread we know today. When the Spanish arrived in the Americas, they brought with them wheat, sugar, and other ingredients that would transform the traditional offerings. The bread’s round shape represents the circle of life and death, while the bone-like decorations on top symbolize the deceased. Over the centuries, Pan de Muerto has become a cherished and recognizable symbol of Dia de los Muertos, both in Mexico and beyond. Its sweet, comforting taste continues to connect generations to their cultural roots and the celebration of life and remembrance of those who have passed away.

Symbolism of Pan de Muerto

Pan de Muerto, the “Bread of the Dead,” carries profound symbolism within its sweet, doughy form. Its round shape signifies the cyclical nature of life and death, representing the eternal journey that souls undertake. The bone-like decorations adorning the bread’s surface are not merely decorative but hold deeper significance; they symbolize the bones of the deceased and the connection between the living and the departed. They also represent the tears shed for loved ones that have passed away.

When the living share and consume Pan de Muerto, it is a gesture of communion with the souls of loved ones, a way of remembering and honoring them during Dia de los Muertos. This bread serves as a delicious bridge between the worlds of the living and the dead, embodying the cultural richness and spiritual depth of this Mexican tradition.

Easy Pan de Muerto 

So I have a confession to make: this is the first time I bake bread from scratch and I have to say that it was much easier than I thought. The Pan de Muerto came out delicious and everyone at home devoured it, even the grandparents wanted some more.

The Pan de Muerto bread has decorations that resemble the bones of the dead  I tried making a skull in the center as well, but not too sure that it looks like a skull. I think it came out great nonetheless.

Easy Pan De Muerto Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup water (about 125°)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup Country Crock® Buttery Sticks, melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds o anise seed
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. colored sugar o granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine yeast with warm water in a medium bowl and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, whole eggs, and melted Country Crock® Buttery Sticks; set aside.
2. Sift flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in fennel seeds. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Stir yeast mixture into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until dough forms. Add a little more flour if the dough is too wet or a little more milk if it is too dry.
3. Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth but slightly sticky, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to large, lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray baking sheet with no-stick spray. Knead dough on lightly floured surface 3 minutes. Cut about 1/5 of the dough off; reserve. Shape remaining dough into a round loaf on a prepared baking sheet. Roll reserved dough into a thick rope, then cut into 5 portions. Roll one portion into a ball and arrange it on top of the round loaf. Roll the remaining 4 balls into ropes with knobby ends resembling ”bones”. Arrange ”bones” around loaf. Cover loosely and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5. Beat egg white with water, then brush loaf with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 35 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown. Remove to wire rack and cool.

Easy Pan de Muerto Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup water (about 125°)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds o anise seed
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. colored sugar o granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Combine yeast with warm water in a medium bowl and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in milk, whole eggs, and melted butter; set aside.
3. Sift flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in fennel seeds.
4. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Stir yeast mixture into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until dough forms. Add a little more flour if the dough is too wet or a little more milk if it is too dry.
5. Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth but slightly sticky, about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer dough to large, lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray baking sheet with no-stick spray.
8. Knead dough on lightly floured surface 3 minutes.
9. Cut about 1/5 of the dough off; reserve.
10. Shape remaining dough into a round loaf on a prepared baking sheet.
11. Roll reserved dough into a thick rope, then cut into 5 portions.
12. Roll one portion into a ball and arrange it on top of the round loaf.
13. Roll the remaining 4 balls into ropes with knobby ends resembling ''bones''.
14. Arrange ''bones'' around loaf.
15. Cover loosely and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
16. Beat egg white with water, then brush loaf with egg wash.
17. Sprinkle with sugar.
18. Bake 35 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown. Remove to wire rack and cool.

This pan de muerto is so easy that it is a great Day of the Dead activity for kids, weather you are making it at home or in the classroom as part of a Día De Los Muertos lesson. 

I first wrote this recipe a few years ago. Since then we make this easy pan de muerto every year. A couple of days before Day of the Dead we will usually watch some Day of the Dead movies like COCO, then make some Day of the Dead crafts for kids and bake some pan de muerto. Then we set up an ofrenda were we add my grandparent’s photos along with some of their favorite things. We decorate the ofrenda with marigolds and other Day of the Dead flowers and put some painted sugar skull pumpkins and sugar skull inspired Day of the Dead lanterns.

Other Day of the Dead Recipes You’re Sure To Love

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula moved from her native Guatemala to SW Florida with her husband and two children and together they are discovering what it means to live life between two languages.

Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .

When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.

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