How to Make All Saints Day Bread

All Saints Day is celebrated by Catholics in many countries on November 1. There are many traditions associated with All Saints Day, but none so widespread as All Saints Day Bread, known in many places as the Day of the Dead Bread. Many different cultures make All Saints Day Bread. In Spain it's traditional to bake sweet almond cakes. The Portuguese make sugar cakes flavored with cinnamon similar to the cookies made in Italy and in Germany the traditional All Saints Day Bread is a long, sweet braided bread. The most well known of the breads is the Mexican pan de muerto, a sweet bread shaped like a skull or bones.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Plastic wrap
• 1 tbsp. anise seeds
• Small saucepan
• 5 cups flour
• 5 tsp. dry yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar (for the glaze)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Grated orange zest (optional)
• 1/3 cup orange juice (for the glaze)
• Large bowl
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• Lightly greased baking sheet

Make All Saints Day Bread

1. Gather the ingredients to make Pan de Muerto and combine the butter, milk and water in the saucepan. Using a medium-low setting on your burner, heat the mixture until it's very warm. Be careful not to boil or scald the milk.
2. Mix the yeast, anise seeds, salt, 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. of sugar in a large bowl. Blend the combined dry ingredients with the warm milk mixture. Once blended, add the eggs and beat until blended again.
3. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time until the the dough is soft and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it's pliant but not rubbery. Roll the dough into an approximation of a ball.
4. Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place to rise until the ball has doubled in size. This should take about two hours.
5. Punch down the risen dough to release the air bubbles and split the dough into two pieces. Create skull or bone shaped loaves, put them on a lightly greased baking sheet and leave uncovered to rise for one hour.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the loaves are browned. Glaze the bread while it is still warm.

Make All Saints Day Bread Glaze

7. Combine the following ingredients in a saucepan: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup orange juice and the optional grated orange zest.
8. Boil the mixture for 2 minutes.