This vegan pan de muerto is soft and tender, sweet, and with a hint of orange. It is made using time-honored baking techniques with vegan ingredients!
What is Pan de Muerto?
Pan de muerto or day of the dead bread is an orange blossom scented bread in the form of a round loaf with knobs decorating the top. It is a very traditional bread that is made for el Dia de los Muertos (Dia de Muertos).
El Dia de Muertos is a celebration of life and triumph over death, the intermingling of the religious beliefs of the indigenous people of Mexico, and the faith of the Spaniards that conquered them. Purple and orange tissue paper banners line altars decorated with marigold petals, colorful sugar skulls, and a bounty of fruit and vegetables.
Both the indigenous people and the Church of the Spaniards believed that death was not an end, but only a passageway to another life. That is why this is a joyous occasion, a homecoming festival, and at the same time a way to mock death and the power it holds over our bodies.
Ofrendas or Altars
A big part of the celebration is to make altars or ofrendas for those who have passed, preparing the dead’s favorite foods, and gathering at the cemetery to decorate a loved one’s grave, share a meal, and reminiscence. It is a tradition full of symbolism that truly honors the dead, those we keep in our hearts, but somehow with the passing of time fade in our memories. Pan de muerto is one of those symbols included in the altars.
Pan de Muerto Meaning
Legend says that the Spaniards began making a special bread in the form of a heart and covered in red sugar as a way to replace the human sacrifices the indigenous people of Mexico practiced. Today, the pan de muerto is not meant to resemble a heart, but instead, the round shape represents the cycle of life and death, the knob in the center represents a skull, and the four strips and knobs represent the bones of the deceased.
The Recipe: Vegan Pan de Muerto
According to my husband, this recipe might be better than the non-vegan version. I have substituted the eggs with potatoes, resulting in a moist, soft, and sweet bread. It is perfect for dipping in hot chocolate or coffee. I recommend that you take the time to find bread flour to make this, it will result in a much better bread. It has become very common in Mexico to stuff your pan de muerto, like this one stuffed with chocolate.
Vegan Day of the Dead Bread
Ingredients
- 1 pack (7g) Active dry yeast
- ½ cup (118ml) Almond milk warm, 3.5 oz
- 3 ¾ cup (500g) Bread flour
- ¾ cup (156g) Sugar granulated
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- ¼ cup (60ml) Orange juice
- ¾ cup (170g) Yukon gold Potato, cooked, mashed
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp. (128g) Vegan butter room temperature, cut into 1 inch pieces,
Glace
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Topping
- 2 tbsp. Vegan butter, unsalted, melted
- ½ cup Sugar granulated
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the almond milk and add 2 tbsp. of the flour. Whisk to incorporate and let rest in a warm place for 20 min.
- In the bowl of a mixer, with the dough hook, combine the dry ingredients: the rest of the flour, salt, sugar, and orange zest. Mix.
- Add the orange juice and mashed potato to the yeast-milk mixture and whisk until there are no more lumps. If it is still lumpy you can use an immersion blender to puree it until smooth. Pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough begins to incorporate.
- Add the softened butter little by little and increase speed to medium. Mix for 15 min. until the dough has come off the sides of the bowl and is smooth and stretchy but not sticky.
- Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and fold the side over unto each other and flip. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (See recipe note if you want to make it all on the same day.)
- The next day take the dough from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place (70-75F) until the dough comes to room temperature, about an hour.
- Take a piece of dough, weighing about 5 oz., and set aside. Divide the remaining dough into four pieces. Roll them tightly into rounds and place on a sheet tray lined with parchment. Press down on the rounds lightly.
- Use the reserved dough to make 4 small balls the size of a quarter and set aside. Use the remaining dough to roll out eight logs long enough to cover the rounds. Use three fingers to lightly press on the logs to shape the bones (see video). Place two strips on top of each round forming an x. Repeat the process with the rest of the rounds.
- Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 ½ hrs. in a warm place (70- 75F) or until double in size.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F. To make the glace, in a small bowl combine the almond milk and maple syrup. Brush the rounds with the glaze and place the small balls in the center of the rounds.
- Bake for 20 min. until the rounds have become a rich brown color. If the bones are becoming too brown, cover with foil. Bake for 5 more minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 190F or the bottom is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.
- While the bread is still warm melt 2 tbsp. of butter and brush the bread with it. Sprinkle evenly with sugar.
- Let bread completely cool before eating.
We loved the pan de muerto! My husband said it’s the best pan de muerto he has ever had, and he moved to the usa from Mexico City when he was 24. He said the best part is it’s tender, fluffy, so much flavor, and it doesn’t taste like egg! Thank you so much for the recipe we will make it every year and then some! :)
I discovered your vegan recipe in 2018 while in Italy for 5 1/2 weeks. It turned out very well. It's the closest to what I remember of non-vegan pan de muerto. I lived in Guadalajara for 4 years. Anyway, this is my fifth time using your recipe. It's always delicious. Thank you for creating.
Aloha Dora, I made them again! The bread is so soft and delicious!
Great recipe
That's amazing Marian. Feliz Dia de los Muertos
I’m not sure if it’s because I used oat milk or because I kneaded by hand but I had issues with the dough being sticky throughout the whole process. I baked until brown but when I cut into it I could still see bits of raw dough. I couldn’t bake it any longer without burning it. Not sure what I’m doing wrong? Smells delicious though. Going to try again with almond milk.
Did you use bread flour?? That makes a big difference
I've been making this recipe for years... It had become a tradition in our home. Thank you so much for bringing so much joy to our family.
I'm so happy to hear this!
Could this be prepped ahead of time? How long could the dough remain in the fridge prior to baking?
You can make the dough the night before then bake the next day. The other way to do it is to make the dough, let rise until doubled in size, shape, then let rise again then bake.
How long would it take to double size?
To double the recipe or for it to double in size while rising?