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 (.25 oz) Active dry yeast
- ½ cup (3.5 oz) Almond milk, room temperature, 3.5 oz
- 3 1/3 cup (17.5 oz) Bread flour
- ¾ cup (5.5 oz) Sugar, granulated
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Orange zest
- ¼ cup Orange juice
- ¾ cup (6 oz.) Potato, Yukon gold, cooked, mashed
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp. (4 ¼ oz.) Vegan butter room temperature, cut into 1 inch pieces,
Topping
- 2 tbsp. Vegan butter, 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 wet ingredients: the orange juice, mashed potato, and yeast-flour mixture. Mix on low until the dough begins to incorporate.
- Add the ½ cup + 1 tbsp. of 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 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.
- 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 3 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 strips long enough to cover the rounds. Place two strips on top of each round forming an x, use your fingers to press lightly on the strips to form knobs, they should resemble bones. 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. Place the small balls in the center of the rounds with a little bit of water. Bake for 20-30 min. until the rounds have become a rich brown color. Cover with foil and bake for 10 to 15 min. more, until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 190F. 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.
I just love hearing about traditions and cultures. What a great way to talk about past friends and relatives with your children, and making a festival or a celebration of the day.
I made this for Dia de Los Muertos and it was just delicious! Thank you for the great recipe.
Dora, this bread is just awesome! I'm currently enjoying a piece with some hot chocolate. I followed your directions exactly, and wouldn't change a thing.
When I went vegan earlier this year, I thought I'd have to miss out on pan de muerto. Not so, and I agree that this vegan version is even better than the classic egg one. Thanks so much. :)
I'm so glad you liked it and that the instructions were easy to follow!
This is a delicious recipe! My “bones” weren’t well shaped but the flavor of the bread and texture were great. I’m so happy I found a vegan version.
Best pan de muerto recipe EVER! They turned out soooo good, all my non vegan family loved it! I was craving a piece of pan de muerto so bad and I decided to make even if it wasn't day of the dead yet. If I could I would make this everyday. Thanks for this awesome recipe
I'm so glad you liked it!!
Hello! My son is allergic to nuts. Can I use a different plant-milk? Or does it have to be almond milk? Thanks!
No, any plant milk will work. I've used soy before.
Have you tried it with gluten free flour?
No,sorry
Hi I’m trying out your recipe and I fallowed it exactly and it didn’t work for me :( on the step where you say to add in the butter little by little then let in go for 15 min until it releases from the side of the bowl and is stretchy but not sticky, it never happened for me. I have a sticky mess and I tried to add more flour and it’s not getting better. I don’t know what I did wrong
Hi Amanda. Sorry, the recipe didn't work out. I've had this happen to me before when I waited too long to add the butter. Start adding the butter almost immediately after turning on the hook to mix the dry and wet ingredients.
Dear Dora, thank you for publishing this delicious looking Dia de los Muertos recipe! I will need to bake for about 50 people .... what do you think -- should i multiply the ingredients by 2 or 3?
And my next question: you divide the dough into 4 and put 3 oz aside for the knob, but then you talk about the remaining dough for the strings? where is this dough? thank you for your help.
Hi Edith, I would multiply the recipe by 3 for 50 people. The 3 oz. is for the knob and the strings.
So yummy! Love the hint of orange in it. I divided the dough recipe in half since it's just me at home, used soy milk, and replaced the potato with sweet potato for a twist! SO great. My only issue is that the dough did not rise very much throughout the proofing process, and I left it for several hours each time. I think it would be better if you kept the whole packet of yeast in even when dividing the recipe, this dough is so enriched it needs that oomf to lift it up!
Decided to make this for a school celebration and waited til the night before because I didn’t notice it had to sit in the fridge overnight. So I was nervous because I haven’t made this recipe and I’d have no time for a do-over of it went bad. Thankfully the reviews here are from people that have actually tried the recipe so I pressed on with some confidence. And it is amazing! Smells like heaven, tastes even better.
I'm so glad it worked out!!
Hi Dora I have always wonder this 3/4 is three times a fourth full cup??
Yes. 3/4 is three-quarters of a cup.
Hi Dora,
I'm a high carb low fat vegan and I was wondering if I could skip the vegan butter step? I don't consume oil, maybe use something else instead?
thanks :)
I've never tried it with a fat substitute, sorry
I'd like to try this recipe out but I don't react well to yeast. Is there a substitute you can recommend in its place? Does apple cider vinegar and baking soda work here?
I wouldn't know sorry
Hi Dora,
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. I tried this recipe today, the bread it’s delicious! I’m ready to celebrate the Day of the Dead! 💀😋
I made this, closely following the recipe. It was delicious! I love pan dulce, and this will be added to my rotation of pan dulces that I bake. Thanks!