Pan de Muerto
Oct 25, 2025 10:34 AM
This pan de muerto recipe makes a soft, fluffy traditional Mexican sweet bread with orange zest and anise. It’s a delicious way to celebrate Día de los Muertos at home.
Pan de Muerto is one of those recipes that feels sacred to me, not just because of its history, but because of what it represents. Every year growing up, we’d see these beautiful round loaves show up at our local panadería in mid-October, covered in sugar and shaped with “bones” across the top. It was always a sign that Día de los Muertos was near.
Pan de Muerto, or “Bread of the Dead,” is a lightly sweet, enriched bread traditionally made for Día de los Muertos. It’s flavored with orange zest and anise seeds, giving it a distinctive aroma and flavor that’s both cozy and fragrant.
Its shape is just as meaningful as its taste. The crisscrossed strips of dough on top represent bones, while the round ball in the center can symbolize a teardrop, a skull, or a heart. Traditionally, one loaf is placed on the family’s altar as an offering, and another is shared among family and friends.
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups bread flour
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon anise seed
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (about 2 medium oranges)
- 1 teaspoon oil
For the Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (about 1 orange)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
40 minutes
Total Time:
280 minutes
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