Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead

By Lindsey Riley (The Crafting-Challenged Blogger)

Happy November, everybody! We are celebrating the change in months by going a little international with our post this week!

November 1 and 2 are two very important days in Mexico and Latin culture, in general. The two days mark the celebration of Dia de los Muertos, which translates to Day of the Dead. For these two days,  families gather to remember their loved ones who have passed on. They visit the cemeteries and place flowers on the graves. They also partake in other traditions that include: Building private altars honoring the deceased and decorating them using sugar skulls, marigolds and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed; singing and drinking; and serenading of the dead from mariachis.

Sugar skulls are a treat that both the living and dead can enjoy, and the treat has become a major symbol of the holiday. I have posted a recipie for sugar skulls but since they are more detailed, I did not attempt at them. Remember: I am the crafing challenged blogger!

Sugar Skulls

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 egg white from an extra large egg, or 2 from small eggs
• 1 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Cornstarch, about a half cup, for powdering surface
• Colored sprinkles
• Food coloring
• Fine paint brush
• Colored icing
• Candy sticks (optional)

1. Sift sugar into a large mixing bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix the egg whites, corn syrup and vanilla.
3. Slowly pour the liquid into the powdered sugar. Mix with your hands until a sandy dough forms.
4. Form dough into a ball. At this point you can continue or you can refrigerate dough for later use.
5. Lightly dust surface with cornstarch as well as your hands. Pinch off a heaping tablespoon of dough and shape it into a skull.
6. Press the candy sticks into the bottom of each skull.
7. If you're using them, lightly press colored sprinkles into the soft candy.
8. Let the candy dry overnight.
9. When candy is dry, use the paint brush with food coloring to decorate the skulls. Or you can use frosting (one that will dry hard) with a find tip to decorate them.
10. Hand them out as is, or wrap in a small cellophane bag tied closed with a small ribbon.

What I did attempt at is Pan de Muerto, a sweet egg bread that can be made into various shapes and is often decorated with white frosting in attempt to make it look like bones. I used a recipe from TLC Cooking for this one. Here it is, the same way it was listed on the website:

What you need:

1/2 cup butter           1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup water            5 cups flour
1 tablespoon anise seeds   Glaze
4 eggs                          1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt          2 packets dry yeast

Prep:  

Heat butter, milk and water in small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter is melted and mixture is very warm but not boiling. Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, salt, anise seeds and sugar in large bowl. Add warm milk mixture; beat until well blended. Add eggs; beat until blended. Add 1 cup flour; beat until blended. Continue adding flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Knead on lightly floured surface 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil large bowl; place dough in it. Cover dough with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down dough; shape into 1 or 2 loaves resembling skulls or skeletons, or round leaves with dough "bones" placed ornamentally around top. Let rise 1 hour. Preheat oven to 370°F. Bake loaves on pizza stone or lightly greased baking sheet until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool slightly on wire rack. Paint with Glaze while bread is wtill warm. Cool to room temperature before serving.

For the Glaze:

Place 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup fresh orange juice and grated zest of 1 orange in a small saucepan. Boil 2 minutes. Paint on bread with a pastry brush.

For me, the recipe was easy to follow, and I felt like it made the baking easier to do. Like I've always said, I am crafting and cooking/baking challenged, so the easier the better in my case! I'm sorry, but I completely forgot about taking pictures of my final product, and my friends ate all of it already. Good food doesn't last long in college! You can easily use Google to find photos of how many peoples' final Pan de Muerto turned out and see the variety used with decorating the bread.

Please share with us how these recipes turned out for you and if you have any more traditional crafts or meals that relate to Dia de los Muertos.