Vegan Pan de Muerto ♥
One of the treats I’d have never ever thought I’d eat again after becoming vegan. But when you get such a strong craving for something, it is the right kind of motivation you need for something like this to happen, right? hihi. Well, this Pan de Muerto wasn’t the exception.
See how I made this Vegan Pan de Muerto 👀
What’s Pan de Muerto?
In case you’ve never heard of this kind of bread, it’s super traditional in Mexico (where I am from) during September-November season.
In my country, the Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. And, in fact, Pan de Muerto is linked to that celebration. One of the most beautiful and colorful traditions in my beloved Mexico.
And guys, I can’t stress enough how soft the bread is when you add a magical ingredient to the dough.
Which isssssssssss… * drum roll * POTATO!
Yup! Incorporating some mashed potato into the dough will add lots of softness, moisture, fluffiness and yumminess to our bread.
Can I omit the potato in this vegan pan de muerto?
The potato is an extremely crutial part in this vegan pan de muerto, especially to achieve the right texture. Potato starch attracts and holds more water than wheat starch, therefore it is a very simple way to increase the moisture content in breads.
Personally, for this vegan pan de muerto, I would not omit the potato unless it is substituted for potato flour or potato starch.
Can I add more flour if the dough is sticky?
If the dough feels very sticky, it means you need to knead longer. The key to achieving a fluffy and light bread is to avoid adding more flour than it needs to prevent the dough from drying out. I know it can be very temptingot add a little extra flour to make the kneading easier, but trust me, just keep kneading until it stops sticking to your hands. The dough will be slightly sticky, but not to the point where the dough remains messy and gooey on your hands (I suggest watching the video to give you a clearer idea of what it should look like).
Can I make this vegan pan de muerto in a larger presentation?
Without a doubt, just keep an eye on the time, depending on how big you make the bread, you may need 3 to 7-8 extra minutes in the oven.
Now, let’s prepare this delicious Vegan Pan de Muerto ♥
The Best Vegan Pan de Muerto
Ingredients
- 560 g all purpose flour (4 ⅔ cups)
- 160 g white sugar (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup soy milk* warm
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 120 g margarine or vegan butter, melted melted (½ cup + ½ tbsp)
- 170 g cooked potato peeled & mashed (~⅔ cup already mashed)
Coating
- 2 tbsp margarine or vegan butter melted
- ½ cup white sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
- In another medium bowl, mix the milk, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla and melted margarine (120 g). Add the mashed potato and mix again.
- Pour the previous mixture into the flour bowl and mix until the dough begins to come together.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead for 8 minutes or until the dough looks slightly shiny, feels very soft, but no longer sticks so easily to your hands.
- Grease a large bowl with a little margarine and place the dough inside it. Cover with a kitchen towel or a large plate to generate some heat and allow the dough to rise. Place the bowl in a warm spot, until it doubles in size (approximately 1-1½ hours).PS. The dough can feel a little sticky but don't worry, it's normal (don't add any extra flour).
- Once the dough is done proofing, punch it down to deflate it, this will allow you to handle it better.
- Scoop the dough out of the bowl, take around 130 g of it and reserve. Divide the remaining dough into 8 parts. Roll each of them and transfer to a baking tray (previously lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat). Make sure to leave enough space between each piece. Slightly press each ball.
- Divide the 130 g dough into 16 parts and spread each of them into strips long enough to cover the dough balls. When spreading each strip, roll them with your hand and fingers ajar to form some kind of "knobs" that represent the bones (optionally you can reserve a little bit of dough to make the little balls that go on top of the 'X').
- Place 2 of the "bone" strips (forming an ‘X’) on top of a ball of dough (optionally in this step you can place the little balls on top of the 'X'). Repeat the process with the rest of the dough balls and strips.
- Cover with a towel and let rise for another hour in a warm place or until doubled in size.
- Fifteen minutes before the resting time is over, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the bread looks slightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the bread cool down for 10 minutes.
- Melt 2 tbsp margarine and brush the bread with it. Coat with some sugar.
- Keep the bread in an air-tight container to prevent it from drying up. It's recommended to heat the bread up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (in case you want it to be a little warm and extra soft).
Notes
Check our latest recipes ♡
The Best Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Vegan Chocolate Mugcake
Vegan Homemade Ferrero Rocher
Homemade Nutella
Vegan Strawberry Tart (gluten-free!)
Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chocolate & Cookie Ganache Filling
I tried this out last night. The measurements in grams were a little difficult to follow since I only had 500 g of flour and needed to adjust. I’m not sure where I went wrong but when I went to mix the wet & dry ingredients the mixture was super dry so I added almost triple the amount of milk. I also substituted the potato with potato flour and that might’ve contributed to the dryness lol. Either way we made it work and the overall flavor was good! The inside was pretty dense but I’m looking forward to trying it again. If it’s possible to add the cup measurements, that would be appreciated! (Similar to concha recipe. Trying that recipe next!)
Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi Julia! Ohh, yup, you’re absolutely right! If you use potato flakes you need to hydrate them very well to compensate the water that comes in cooked potatoes (I’ve never used potato flakes for this recipe, so I don’t know exactly how much extra water to add to get the right consistency and moisture). But I’m glad you were still able to use the dough! I would totally recommend going for normal cooked potatoes so you can see the difference.
And thanks for suggesting adding cup measurements! I’ll for sure do it, but I really really recommend using scales just to be as accurate as possible and get the best possible result 😉
It came out so good! Even tho I switched the vegan butter for refined coconut oil. Thank you!
Oh, that’s awesome! So happy to hear that, Azul! Thanks for leaving your review 💕
Can I use potato flakes ?
Hi! I would recommend you use fresh potatoes for a better result 😉
Ok thanks