Gluten-Free Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)

4.15 from 41 votes

Try this gluten-free version of Pan de Muerto, a sweet bread traditionally served on Día de los Muertos, November 1 & 2, in Latin cultures.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Resting time3

Total Time1 20

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: gluten-free, gluten-free bread

Servings:

Calories: 343kcal

Author: K.C. Cornwell

¼ cup milk
¼ cup butter
¼ cup warm water 110 degrees F/45 degrees C
3 cups Gluten-Free flour blend sifted with 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (if not already in the blend) & DIVIDED
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
¼ cup white sugar
3 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest

Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).
In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour blend, yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in ½ cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft. Stop adding flour if the dough starts to become stiff (you may not need all the flour!)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly with floured hands.
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. If you'd like to make "bones" on the bread, take no more than ⅕ of the dough and roll fat ropes, then stretch them over the loaf and pinch in sections to mimic the shape of bumpy bones.
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.
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly.
Sprinkle the top with sugar or cinnamon as desired.

I often mix my own Gum-Free Baking Binder when I bake breads like this. I've found it's a better binder than gums, and provides better texture.