Pan de Muerto
What’s American?
Trigger warning: this could make you mad. But you might also really enjoy it.
What defines an “American” holiday? With all the division and opinions free-flowing these days, I wonder if all the people touting their mantras stop to consider what is original to us as a governed nation of people defined by a Declaration of Independence. Christian holidays? Nope. Indigenous tribal holidays? Nope. And the same goes for pretty much everything in between.
In the many “conversations," we have gotten off on rabbit trails that lead us into our predetermined corners of ownership and identity. And there we find ourselves, talking in loops about what we believe to an audience that regurgitates that rhetoric right back at us.
Whatever happened to an acknowledgment of the extraordinary fact that we are governed by the people, for the people? And maybe very poorly, much of the time, in my opinion. But travel a bit and see what it looks like when you do not have a say in your country’s decision-making. Talk to global friends about their experiences. Or merely check the headlines in the news these past six months.
Before you decide I am “just another” disgruntled pot-stirrer, consider my point. Our country has its issues, but is it not an absolute privilege to be a participating citizen in the United States of America? A place where you can share your opinion without the threat of harm from a government trying to control the narrative. A place where, although opportunity has not been historically equal for all — and as a country, we are very much not alone in that kind of history — the laws still uphold life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all. That is still the goal.
And yes, there is still so much work to be done. But I look around at our country, and in just the past couple of decades, I see some painful and traumatic national history being resolved on a one-to-one level and continuing to be addressed on a national level. I see the once-ignorant reaching out for information and asking, “how can we do this better?” I see those whose families have a history of racial oppression in this country offering forgiveness, resisting victimhood, and stepping forward to work for and own their futures.
The winds of change can bring beauty…
So, in the spirit of moving forward, instead of clinging to “how it used to be” or how “it is not good enough,” I bring you Pan de Muerto. This bread is a staple of a holiday that has made a name for itself in the USA.
It has been twelve years since I last wrote about El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and I described it as a holiday in Mexico rich in tradition. But El Día de los Muertos has gone from being a millennia-old regional tradition, to something that has steadily spread further into North America.
Now you can go to almost any Target or Walmart in my part of the world and pick up themed clothing and gifts related to El Día de los Muertos, along with your shampoo and toilet paper. Social media has seemed to help disseminate this cultural tradition and popularize the holiday. But I recommend reading up a bit about it to fully understand that it’s more than just decorated calaveras (skulls) and candles.
I first experienced El Día de los Muertos in Oaxaca, México, where I studied at La Universidad Mesoamericana with my sister Emily during the fall semester of 1999. I have vivid memories of dusk falling on those days in la Ciudad de Oaxaca. Thousands of candles were flickering throughout the zócalo (the town square), and there was color everywhere. Vibrant sand sculptures formed skeletons and the blossoms of bright orange marigolds made bold borders around the art. It was celebratory, but it was reverent.
For more than 2,000 years, the Aztec people of this area had been celebrating and honoring their dead. With the arrival of the Spanish early in the 16th century, these ancient traditions blended with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day to become what we now know as El Día de los Muertos. Oaxaca remains very traditional due to its location and a healthy state pride in its culture. Families build altars for their dead adorned with photographs, favorite foods and drinks, and other memorabilia. And Pan de Muerto is an essential element included in the ofrenda.
As it happened, our university was located directly across from a bakery. By peering into the windows during the days leading up to this holiday, we had our introduction to Pan de Muerto — translated to Bread of the Dead. It is a yeasty egg bread flavored with canela and anise that has a touch of sweetness and is regularly served (even dunked) with Mexican hot chocolate. The dough is often formed in round loaves and topped with more dough formed into skulls and crossbones (which is what I have done), or it can be made into shapes such as angels or little rolls and then decorated. I remember the first morning of El Día de los Muertos when I sat down at the kitchen table of my host family to a large cup of steaming hot chocolate and a fresh roll of Pan de Muerto.
Tasting this bread again took me straight back to that moment. Consider this the ultimate comfort food. The bread is pillowy, light, and delicately spiced.
El Día de los Muertos is special to me because the holiday encourages the practice of intentionally remembering loved ones who have passed and recalling the things that were particular to them in life — what they enjoyed, what made them smile. It is the celebration of the good in their lives. It has only been in the past decade that I experienced the loss of family, and as the years go by, I realize that the practice of remembering is a way to honor them and keep their lives and stories relevant to my children.
When I hear the music of Debussy or Satie, I think of my Grandad, “Jack” Dickerson. He loved to read and had a library full of classic literature. Old airplanes and Chinese puzzles belong to his memory too. When I catch someone humming a little tune, it reminds me of my Grandma, Donna Dickerson. She crocheted beautiful pieces, loved Darjeeling tea, and grew so many peonies in her garden.
On my maternal side, the art my Grandpa “Joseph” Salazar leaves behind is a visual reminder, starting with the massive painting he finished on his birthday in 1969 of “The Last Supper” that hangs in my dining room. Glistening clean floors and brushing my teeth even remind me of him. He loved brushing his! And every time I make tortillas or tamales, I remember my Grandma “Mary” Salazar. The same goes for red lipstick when I wear it. And the desire to feed people and bring delight through the food I cook — I know how Grandma felt.
Whether you make this bread or simply take some moments of quiet reflection, I hope you enjoy the experience of honoring your loved ones by remembering them.
Pan de Muerto (Pan Resobado)
The recipe is from Zarela Martinez’s book: The Food and Life of Oaxaca. It was published in 1997, just a couple of years before I was there, and the recipe is from “Gabriel Cruz Aguilar, a master baker in the town of San Antonio in the Valley of Oaxaca, who bakes up to a thousand loaves a day for the celebration.” It is a light and delicate bread, rich in flavor, and just like I remembered it 24 years ago. Muchas gracias to Zarela and the people of Oaxaca for sharing this recipe, their traditions, and inspiration.
Recipe by Gabriel Cruz Aguilar, adapted by Zarela Martinez…with a few tweaks from Stephanie Kunstle
Notes from Stephanie:
The cinnamon used in Mexico (canela) is Ceylon Cinnamon: it has a more delicate flavor and the bark is papery thin and soft, not like the hard and tightly scrolled quills that are commonly sold in stores. You can find it at Mexican grocery stores or shop online at The Spice House.
“All-purpose flour” really differs depending on what type of wheat it is and where it’s grown. Pay extra attention to the amount of flour you add. The original recipe calls for 8.5-9.5 cups, but I only used about 7 cups in total. Start with less when you’re mixing your dough and add more if it remains sticky during the kneading phase.
I recommend using a medium bowl (1.5-2 qts) for the first step, even though it seems unnecessary. The infused water, yeast, sugar, and flour grows quickly.
For a burnished finish, I brushed my loaves with egg white left over from the recipe.
The loaves are ready when they are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them. Mine were done between 30-35 minutes.
Ingredients:
One 3-inch piece canela
1 tsp. anise seed
1 oz. dry yeast : I decreased this from 2 Tbsp + 1.5 tsp (1 oz.) to just 2 Tbsp for my altitude of 7,200 ft elevation
7 to 9 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
3/4 c. granulated sugar : I decreased this by 1.5 Tbsp to adjust for high altitude
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and kept slightly warm
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature (reserve the whites)
1/2 c. dark raisins
Preparation:
Place the canela and anise seed in a small saucepan with 3 cups of water and boil rapidly until reduced to about 1 and 1/2 cups. Strain the infusion and pour 1 cup in a medium-size bowl, reserving the rest. Let cool to warm (110 F). Dissolve the yeast in the liquid (decrease for altitude). Stir in 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the sugar; mix to a smooth batter. Let stand until foamy and risen, about 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 6 cups of the remaining flour with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar (decrease for high altitude) and the salt. Make a large well in the center. Stir down the prepared yeast mixture and add along with the melted butter. Add the whole eggs, egg yolks, raisins, and ½ cup of the reserved spice infusion to the well. With the fingers of one hand, break the yolks; begin combining the liquid ingredients in the well and gradually work in more of the flour from around the sides until you have a uniformly mixed dough. At this stage it will be very loose and sticky.
Use some of the remaining flour to generously flour a clean work surface. Turn out the dough and begin kneading it, working in more flour as necessary to produce a soft, yielding, but kneadable dough. Knead for about 20 minutes, until the dough is silky and elastic. (This is a great time to watch a show or play good music…20 minutes can feel long in our culture of instant-gratification). Oil a very large bowl with olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and let it stand in a warm place (70-75 degrees Fahrenheit), covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap, until doubled in volume, about an hour. If you are like me and you need to run out for an errand or to pick up kiddos, feel free to let this rise for two hours or so. It won’t hurt it.
Punch down the dough and shape into three 6-inch round loaves or about 22 to 24 rolls. I used a kitchen scale to weigh my loaves to make sure they were equal in size. My loaves weighed about 1 lb 8 oz each, and I cut off about 3-4 oz from each piece of dough to roll out the crossbones and shape the skulls.
Beat your reserved egg whites with a fork to get them slightly frothy. Brush each round loaf with egg white, and drape the first bone across the loaf and flatten the center of the bone to make a place to lay the second bone. Brush that with egg white, then add the next bone in the opposite direction shaped with its center flattened and brush it with egg white. Brush the “back” of the skull and attach it to the flattened center of the crossbones, then brush the “face” of the skull.
Place loaves on buttered baking sheets or covered with parchment paper (no more than two loaves per sheet), and let them stand in a warm place loosely covered with damp cloths or buttered plastic wrap until doubled in volume, about 30-ish minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Add the loaves to the oven and decrease the temperature to 375F. If you are baking them all in one oven, start with one sheet on the bottom rack and one on the middle rack and switch them half way through the baking process. Bake about 30 to 40 minutes for the loaves, 15 to 20 minutes for rolls. Check after 10-15 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if the crust is darkening too quickly (it won’t stick, so just drape a big piece of foil right over the top).
When the loaves are done, remove them from the sheet pans and set them on drying racks to cool. While they’re still hot, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar. I used black sesame seeds to create a simple skull “face.”
Serve with hot chocolate (Mexican chocolate if you can find it), and enjoy the bread for breakfast or as a cozy snack!
The Significance of Pan de Muerto
The Mexican Food Journal best describes the symbolism of the bread’s design: “For the classic hojaldra [round loaf], its round shape symbolizes the circle of life and death. The ball on top represents the skull of the deceased. And the pieces that lay across the bread in the shape of a cross signify their bones and tears.
The portions of the cross—or compass—are believed to aim at four cardinal points, each ruled by an Aztec god: Quetzalcóatl (god of light and wind), Xipe Tótec (god of death and rebirth), Tláloc (god of rain and storms) and Tezcatlipoca (god of darkness and sorcery).
Sesame seeds sprinkled on some breads, like those made in Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Mexico City, represent the tears of souls who’ve not yet found rest. While in some regions, people still dust their bread with red sugar, as they were said to do in pre-hispanic times.”