Pan de muerto
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
A soft, rich sweet bread scented with orange and anise, decorated with dough 'bones' and coated in sugar. Baked in Mexico for Día de Muertos and placed on ofrendas.
Pan de muerto is a Mexican bread from Mexico, ready in about 4 hours 5 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, orange zest and anise seed. It serves 12 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 2 h 45 min
- Total
- 4 h 5 min
- Serves
- 12
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 316
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), yeast, salt, zest and anise. Add the eggs (opens in a new tab), milk (opens in a new tab) and orange blossom water (opens in a new tab) and knead 6 minutes; add the butter (opens in a new tab) gradually and knead 10 minutes more until silky, elastic and only slightly sticky.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Cover and leave until doubled, 90 minutes (or refrigerate overnight for easier shaping).
- 90 min
Step 3
Cut off about a fifth of the dough for decoration. Shape the rest into two smooth domed rounds on a lined tray. Roll four thin ropes per loaf, press a finger along each at intervals to form 'knuckles', and lay them across the loaves; top each with a small ball of dough in the centre, fixed with a dab of water.
Step 4
Cover and proof 60–75 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 175 °C.
- 70 min
- 175°C
Step 5
Bake 30–35 minutes until deep golden and 88–90 °C inside; tent with foil if the bones darken early.
Step 6
While still warm, brush all over with melted butter (opens in a new tab) and sprinkle generously with sugar (opens in a new tab). Cool before slicing.
About this dish
- Origin
- Mexico · Well documentedShapes and flavourings vary by region; this is the widespread central-Mexican style.More food from Mexico
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Sweets & confectionery
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Fermented
- Taste
- sweet, citrusy, aromatic / warmly spiced, buttery
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Orange zest · Anise seed · Sugar · Instant yeast · Egg
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk, unsalted butter, butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
316 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 92 g · recipe makes 12
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 8%
- Carbohydrate 58%
- Fat 34%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 316 kcal | 345 kcal |
| Protein | 6.5 g | 7.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 46.1 g | 50.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 44.8 g | 48.8 g |
| Sugars | 13.9 g | 15.2 g |
| Added sugars | 13.3 g | 14.5 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 11.8 g | 12.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 6.7 g | 7.4 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 73 mg | 80 mg |
| Sodium | 234 mg | 255 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 0.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 86 mg
- Calcium
- 29 mg
- Iron
- 2.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 107 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 142 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Orange blossom water: Water (FDC 174158); orange flower water is a distillate with negligible nutrients.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Toasting the anise seeds briefly in a dry pan releases far more fragrance.
Common mistakes
- Decorations that are too thick bake up as hard lumps — keep the ropes slim.
Serve with
- Serve with Mexican hot chocolate or champurrado.
Storage
- Wrapped at room temperature for 2–3 days.
Reheating
- Warm at 160 °C for 5 minutes.
Variations
- Red-sugar pan de muerto: Some regions coat the bread with pink or red sugar, or with sesame seeds.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- All-purpose flour500 g
- Egg3 piece · 150 g
- Milk100 ml · 103 g
- Unsalted butter, softened115 g
- Orange zest1 piece · 8 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 45 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 30 min
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 1 h 10 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 35 min at 175 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 4 h. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Egg | Egg | 150 g | 30% |
| Unsalted butter | Fat | 115 g | 23% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 103 g | 20.6% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 100 g | 20% |
| Orange blossom water | Other | 15 g | 3% |
| Orange zest | Other | 8 g | 1.6% |
| Instant yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.4% |
| Salt | Salt | 6 g | 1.2% |
| Anise seed | Other | 2 g | 0.4% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 40.4%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 1.2% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
- Sugar 20% — an enriched, sweet dough; rises more slowly and browns quickly.
- Fat 23% — a rich, tender dough.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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