There are lots of sorts of pan de muerto, frivolously sweetened breads baked to have a good time Mexico’s Día de Muertos, however within the state of Michoacán, it’s frequent for them to be formed to symbolize individuals. This recipe is customized from the Téllez household in Cuanajo, the place they bake tons of of loaves for residents and native bakeries every year. A knife is used to create one small slit on the backside for the legs and one small vertical slit on both aspect of the physique for the arms, that are then folded throughout the torso. Should you don’t personal a stand mixer, you may knead the dough by hand for 10 to 14 minutes earlier than the primary rise.
Featured in “These Michoacán Bakers Make Human-Formed Breads for Day of the Lifeless” by Luisa Navarro within the Fall/Winter 2025 challenge. See extra recipes and tales from Concern 205.
Substances
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. immediate yeast
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing and brushing
Directions
- Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir collectively the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add 2 cups of heat water and the butter and blend on medium-low till a easy and elastic dough types, 5–7 minutes. Collect the dough right into a ball and switch to a big, frivolously greased bowl. Cowl with a moist kitchen towel and put aside in a heat place till doubled in dimension, about 1 hour.
- Tip the dough out onto a frivolously floured work floor and divide into 7 equal parts. Roll every portion into a decent ball, cowl with a moist kitchen towel, and put aside for five minutes to calm down the dough.
- Roll every ball right into a 7-inch cylinder. To form the “head,” press your index finger a couple of quarter of the best way down one quick finish of 1 cylinder. With out urgent right through to the work floor, gently roll the cylinder forwards and backwards to type a 5-inch physique related by a narrower neck to a rounded 2-inch head. Utilizing a rolling pin, flatten the physique out into an rectangular form, about 6 inches lengthy and three inches vast on the base. Utilizing a pointy knife, reduce a 1-inch slit into the widened backside and pull the 2 sides aside to type the legs. Then, make a ½-inch vertical slit on both aspect of the higher torso to create two arms. Stretch the arms throughout the torso and press the ends collectively in order that they meet in a prayer-like place. House the dough collectible figurines 2–3 inches aside on two massive, parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush with melted butter, cowl loosely with plastic wrap, and put aside till almost doubled in dimension, 45–60 minutes.
- Place two racks within the higher and decrease thirds of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Bake, rotating the pans as soon as halfway by way of, till the loaves are puffed and golden, 15–22 minutes. Switch to a wire rack and funky to room temperature.
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