El Pan De Muerto

Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 -5 1/2 cups flour
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon whole anise seed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest

Recipe

• 1 in a saucepan over medium flame, heat the butter, milk and water until very warm but not boiling.
• 2 meanwhile, measure out 1-1/2 cups flour and set the rest aside.
• 3 in a large mixing bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar.
• 4 beat in the warm liquid until well combined.
• 5 add the eggs and beat in another 1 cup of flour.
• 6 continue adding more flour until dough is soft but not sticky.
• 7 knead on lightly floured board for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
• 8 lightly grease a bowl and place dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
• 9 punch the dough down and shape into loaves resembling skulls, skeletons or round loaves with"bones" placed ornamentally around the top.
• 10 let these loaves rise for 1 hour.
• 11 bake in a preheated 350 f degree oven for 40 minutes.
• 12 remove from oven and paint on glaze.
• 13 glaze: bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then apply to bread with a pastry brush.
• 14 if desired, sprinkle on colored sugar while glaze is still damp.