Bread for the Days of the Dead-Pan Resobado

Photo by Manu Bastien

This is typical of the sweet yeast breads that are made in the Valley of Oaxaca for the Days of the Dead, November 1 and 2.  Often they are simple round loaves that are inset after baking with cameolike images done in colored sugar and special decorative materials — for example, a woman’s face with golden earrings.
Gabriel Cruz Aguilar, a master baker in the town of San Antonino in the Valley of Oaxaca, uses this dough for his Days of the Dead loaves.  In his wood-burning brick oven he bakes up to a thousand loaves a day for the celebration (compared with the normal three hundred), and while I was in the shop several women came by with meter-high baskets to pick up orders of a hundred loaves each! (Families pay many ceremonial visits to each other at this time, and both the hosts and the guests offer gifts of food including decorated loaves of pan resobado to place on the family altar.) But Gabriel also makes plain loaves of pan resobado the year round.
Resobado means “specially kneaded” or “extra-kneaded,” and the soft, rich dough does require very thorough and careful kneading.  This recipe is a loose home-kitchen translation of Gabriel’s original, which began, “Take three sacks of flour…”  Allow yourself some leeway on the flour.  The dough may require more or less.

One 3-inch piece canela
1 teaspoon aniseed
4 envelopes dry yeast (1 ounce total)
8 – 9 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and kept slightly warm
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark raisins

Place the canela and aniseed in a small saucepan with 3 cups water and boil rapidly until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.  Strain the infusion; place 1 cup in a medium-size bowl, reserving the rest.  Let cool to warm (110°F).  Dissolve the yeast in the liquid.  Stir in 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the sugar; mix to a smooth batter.  Let stand in a warm place until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 7 cups of the remaining flour with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the salt.  Make a large well in the center.  Stir down the prepared yeast mixture and add along with the melted butter.  Add the whole eggs, egg yolks, the raisins, and the reserved spice infusion to the well.  With the fingers of one hand, break the yolks; begin combining the liquid ingredients in the well and gradually working in more of the flour from around the sides until you have a uniformly mixed dough.  At this stage it will be very loose and sticky.
Use some of the remaining flour to generously flour a work surface.  Turn out the dough and begin kneading it, working in more flour as necessary to produce a soft, yielding, but kneadable consistency.  Knead for 20 minutes, until the dough is silky and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl and let stand in a warm place, covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap, until doubled in volume, about 30 – 40 minutes.
Punch down the dough and shape into three 6-inch round loaves or about 22 – 24 rolls.  Place on greased baking sheets and let stand in a warm place, loosely covered with damp cloths or greased plastic wrap, until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.  With a very sharp small knife or razor blade, make 3 parallel slashes across the top of each loaf or roll.  Bake about 35 – 40

minutes for the loaves, 15 – 20 minutes for rolls.  Check after 10 – 15 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if the crust is darkening too quickly.

Yield: Three 8-inch loaves or 22 – 24 rolls.