This was Mariana Peláez’ suggested Recipe for us, although she is a total bagel-lover, she picked this festive bread as her ultimate favorite.
Coming from Dia de Los Muertos‘ Season November 2nd every year, this festive bake is a not-miss during the Mexican celebration. It does not take a difficult process, but it takes a double proving, and it implies a bit of yeast. For Bread-lovers, it’s an easy bread to master…Add it to your list of Bread-Recipes and Enjoy!

Ingredients
¼ cup margarine
¼ cup milk
¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
¼ cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup of orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons white sugar
Procedure
-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, yeast, salt, anise seed 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.
–Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
–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.
–Bake in a preheated 350 F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.
–To make the 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.

*Main Image taken from Spruce Eats
If you want to know more about Mariana Peláez’s work, look for her Interview in “Editorial” or visit her website!