Pan de Muertos 2015

[Don Cuevas]

It has been two years since I made Pan de Muertos. It's a challenging learning experience each time.

 This year's were somewhat simplified in appearance. The radial "bones" don't have the traditional knobs.


Pan de Muertos 2015

Compare with those from 2010:


2010


A radical, non-traditional interpretation:


And back even further, into the mists of antiquity:


Pan de Muertos 2004

[chexbres]

This is similar to the breads I used to make for the Saint Joseph's Altars in New Orleans. Is yours an egg bread?
The hard part is trying to out-fox the way the yeast will make the design expand, so it doesn't ruin the shape. An egg dough is really tough to manage and predict. My best efforts were just flour, water, yeast - a flaming heart with a crown of thorns around the middle and some large fantasy fish. If you really overwork the dough, the gluten will hold the shapes a lot better - the downside is that the bread doesn't taste very good.

The breads from the altars weren't really meant to be eaten - everyone was supposed to get a piece to take home, so in the event of a hurricane, you'd throw the bread out the window and no harm would come to you. Worked for most Sicilians in most hurricanes, just not Katrina.

[Don Cuevas]

Yes, it had 6 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs in about 5 cups of flour, and a 1/2 cup of sugar.

I used an all purpose flour, with a minimum amount of yeast, starting with a sponge for an hour. That, and the cool temperatures in our house kept it from over expanding. Past efforts resulted in "muscular" loaves that split and the "bones" slid out of position. I think that was from too much gluten development.

I toasted a couple of slices next morning. I didn't care for the excessively eggy taste. The good thing is that this batch has a tender crumb.

In contrast, when I make challah, (frequently) I use only 3 whole eggs in 5-6 cups of flour, and far less sugar.

[chexbres]

Yep, I think that was too many eggs, too. It can make the dough rubbery and more dense than it should be.

When you apply the "bones" on top, you might try using scissors to snip a deep trough, then pushing the "bones" in a lot deeper than you think you should. This takes a little trial and error, but works well when you get the hang of it. I learned this trick when making brioche, and even though I didn't think it would work, those little "heads" stayed put right where I wanted them to be, instead of falling over lopsided.

I've made a lot of challah, but haven't graduated beyond fat 3-rope braided loaves. I'm a little dyslexic, and it's just too frustrating to make them more complicated.

[Don Cuevas]

Today I made another four Pan de Muertos, using a somewhat different recipe. It has only 6 whole eggs instead of 6 yolks and 2 whole eggs. Also, today's recipe has only 4 ounces of butter instead of 8. 

My problems with forming the "bones" is not so much getting them to stay in place, put estimating and cutting off enough dough from the bulk mass sufficient to form them.

This time, I egg washed the loaves and dusted them with granulated sugar just before putting them in a very hot (450º F) oven. The temperature is reduced to 350º after 10 minutes, then baked for 30 minutes more.

I also took care to double-pan them to avoid overly dark (can you say "burnt"?) bottoms. Everything came together very nicely, in spite of deformed "bones".


Pan de Muertos October 27, 2015

I haven't tasted any of these yet. I plan on giving most away to friends.

[Don Cuevas]

insert quote here

I've made a lot of challah, but haven't graduated beyond fat 3-rope braided loaves. I'm a little dyslexic, and it's just too frustrating to make them more complicated.

I can make a 4-stand challah, but usually don't because the total dough quantity of my recipe works out best as two 3-strand loaves.
I have on rare occasions (like, almost never) done a 6-strand, but have no need to tax my dexterity and brain with such.



3-strand poppyseed challah. The "shredding" is evidently a result of over development.

[chexbres]

Maybe your "bone bread" is just suffering from a little arthritis?

The challah looks good - dammit! I'm off to bed, before I go raid the kitchen!