pan de muerto

well, i thought maybe i would get this posted on the actual day of the dead or (dia de los muertos), but i wasn't quick enough. the past couple years i've seen recipes for pan de muerto (day of the dead bread). i never made it till now. its kinda like challah, but this contains anise seed, which adds a nice subtle flavor to an otherwise basic rich dough. this loaf also receives a skull and crossbones shaped from a portion of the dough that is placed on top to give it some added flare.

this is the recipe i used.

pan de muerto

note: the second egg wash should only be place on the skull and crossbones to help give them an extra brown color, so they stand out. i assumed this was the case, but went a head and followed the directions as they were written. this gave me an all around dark loaf with little indication of the accent on top. as you can see below. still a cute little hunk of bread though. perfect toasted w/ some jam for breakfast or anytime for that matter