Pan de Muertos (Mexican Sweet Bread)

adapted from allrecipes.com

The actual translation is Bread of the Dead. Appetizing? Erm ... I made this traditional bread to celebrate the Day of the Dead (Mexican holiday). Having tasted it about a billion times before, I'd never made it. I really enjoyed the process because it is simple. Those of you who know about Mexican breads, you will know that they are not grainy and always contain TONS of sugar.

The easiest way to describe it is similar to a brioche but a bit denser. I call it a dipping bread because it is yummy, especially when dunked in coffee or hot chocolate (like a donut). Recipe below along with a few pics.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup margarine 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs, beaten 2 teaspoons orange zest 1/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon orange zest 2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add them warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
3.	Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
4.	Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf with a round knob on top. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
5.	Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.
6.	To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.