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vegan pan de muerto on a wood surface with colorful paper
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Vegan Day of the Dead Bread

This vegan day of the dead bread or pan de muerto is tender, sweet, and delicious. Perfect for dipping on hot chocolate.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Diet Vegan
Prep Time 1 day 3 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 day 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 4 loaves
Calories 874kcal
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons (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.

Video

Notes

If you want to make this recipe in one day don't place the dough in the refrigerator, instead after the first rise go straight to shaping the bread, then continue following the rest of the recipe. 
If you use salted vegan butter omit the salt in the recipe.
This recipe is a combination of my dad’s recipe and Fanny Gerson’s method for Pan de Muerto in My Sweet Mexico.

Nutrition

Calories: 874kcal | Carbohydrates: 148g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg