Pan de Muertos is a traditional bread for the dead placed on the altar to offer nourishment for the departed soul.

Ingredients

5 - 6 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
2 packets of dry yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of anise seed
     
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of butter
4 eggs

 

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups of flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar. Mix thoroughly.
In a small pan, heat the milk, water and butter nearly to a boil.
Stir the warm liquid into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended.
Mix in the eggs and add remaining flour gradually as needed until the dough is soft and not tacky
Knead the dough on a floured board about ten minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl in a warm environment. Cover it to prevent drying. Near sea level, the dough should rise for about 1-1/2 hours until it has doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl and press it into a circular shape, adding additional molded or sculpted shapes of bones, or a skull, to the top. Let the sculpted bread rise for an additional hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.
After baking, sprinkle lightly with confectioner's sugar topped with colored sugar (which may be sprinkled on to make a design). You may also want to add a glaze (shown below), which will help hold sugar in place.

Glaze for Pan de Muertos

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange peel for zest

Directions

Mix sugar, orange juice and grated orange peel in a sauce pan. Boil two minutes.
Brush glaze lightly on bread.
Sprinkle colored sugar on fresh glaze.

Champurrado (Chocolate Atole)

Ingredients

6 cups whole milk
1 cup masa harina--corn flour
2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, grated
1 cinnamon stick

Heat the mild and chocolate in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the chocolate. When chocolate is completely dissolved, remove from the heat and set aside to keep warm. Mix the masa harina with the water in another saucepan; place over low heat, add the cinnamon stick, and cook until the mixture has thickened and the masa becomes translucent. Add the chocolate milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and simmer for a few minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve the champurrado hot in cups or mugs.

Arroz con Leche (Rice Sweet)

3⁄4 cup rice
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups milk
1 cup rich cream
1⁄4 tsp. salt

Scald milk. Put the rice into a deep baking dish, cover with the hot milk, and bake in a moderate oven for 3 hours, or until the rice is soft. Stir occasionally during first hour.