Traditional bread of the dead
INGREDIENTS
Dough
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup milk I used lactose-free
¼ cup warm water 45 °C
3 cups wheat flour NOT whole wheat flour
1 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup refined white sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 beaten egg (glaze)
Orange glaze:
2 tablespoons refined white sugar
3 tablespoons natural orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
Topping:
Refined white sugar to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Bread of the dead:
Heat the milk and butter in a medium saucepan until the butter melts.
Remove from heat and add the warm water.
In a bowl, mix 1 cup flour, yeast, salt and ¼ cup sugar.
Add the warm milk mixture along with the eggs and mix well.
Add the orange zest and mix until well mixed.
Add ½ cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is smooth.
Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until it reaches a soft, elastic consistency and does not stick to your hands.
Form a ball and place it in a greased bowl.
Cover with a slightly damp cloth and let it rest for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place until it doubles in volume.
Punch down the dough with your fist and divide it into 3.
Form two balls, place on a greased tray and cover with a cloth. Put in the oven when turned off or leave in a warm place.
Divide the remaining dough into 6 equal pieces.
Form two balls and form the remaining 4 into little bones.
Stretch the dough with your fingers, leaving fat at the ends to form the little bones.
Place on another greased tray, cover with a cloth and put in the oven with the oven turned off.
Let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Beat the egg for the glaze. Cover the breads (balls) with egg using a baking brush and stick the bones on. Cover the bones with egg and stick the ball or head on.
Glaze the whole bread and bake for 25 minutes.
Orange glaze:
Mix the orange juice, sugar, and orange zest in a small pot or pan.
Boil over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Bread of the Dead:
Glaze the bread with a brush while it is warm.
Sprinkle the bread with white sugar to taste.
NOTES
The resting time is 2-3 hours so that you can take this into account in the preparation time of the recipe. Recipe adapted from All Recipes Mexico