A Sweeter Way to Celebrate Día de Muertos: Pan de Muerto
One of the easiest—and most delicious—ways to experience Día de Muertos in San Miguel de Allende is through Pan de Muerto.
The soft, citrus-scented bread appears throughout the city in the weeks leading up to November 2. But its round form, bone-shaped decorations, and coating of sugar represent much more than a seasonal treat.
We spoke with Sandra Vázquez of Panio about the history behind this iconic bread, Panio’s artisan approach, and how she personally celebrates Día de Muertos in San Miguel.
The Meaning Behind Pan de Muerto
Pan de Muerto is a beautiful example of Mexican gastronomic syncretism—the blending of pre-Columbian Indigenous traditions with Spanish and Christian influences.
For centuries, the original inhabitants of central Mexico honored deceased loved ones with offerings of food and meaningful belongings. Some offerings also included representations of skulls and bones.
Wheat was not native to the Americas. It arrived with the Spanish and became important to Christian celebrations and European breadmaking. Over time, these traditions came together in Pan de Muerto: a round, sweet bread decorated with firmer pieces of dough shaped like bones and traditionally arranged in a cross.
The bread is now prepared throughout the Día de Muertos season. Families enjoy it together or place it on an altar as an offering to someone they are remembering.
Panio’s Three-Day Process
Panio was founded by third-generation bakers with roots in French and Italian baking traditions. Its Pan de Muerto begins with biga, an Italian-style pre-ferment similar to a sourdough starter.
Candied orange and cider peels add a rich citrus fragrance, while a three-day fermentation process develops the flavor and texture of the semi-sweet dough. Despite Panio’s European baking influences, Sandra believes its traditional shape should be preserved.
The finished bread is soft, buttery, and fragrant, with symbolic bone-shaped decorations and a generous finish of syrup and white sugar.
Make Your Own at Panio Lab
For anyone who wants to participate more directly in the tradition, Panio Lab will host a special Pan de Muerto workshop on October 29.
Participants will learn how fermentation, texture, temperature, and technique shape the dough. They will also explore the bread’s traditional forms and symbols before creating their own interpretation.
The goal is not to produce a perfect loaf. It is to understand the process, experiment, exchange ideas, and appreciate the tradition behind the bread. Everyone will leave with their own freshly baked creation.
For visitors, the workshop offers a wonderful way to move beyond simply observing Día de Muertos. You can learn the history, work with the dough, gather around the table, and take part in one of the season’s most beloved traditions.
A Simplified Pan de Muerto Recipe
Sandra also shared a home-friendly version of Panio’s recipe. It is designed for a stand mixer and makes four large loaves.
Starter
250 grams high-gluten flour
11 grams dry yeast
125 grams room-temperature water
Mix with a dough hook for 10 minutes. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for at least two hours.
Main Dough
Prepared starter
1,000 grams high-protein flour
200 grams sugar
250 grams eggs
300 grams cold whole milk
10 grams dry yeast
15 grams sea salt
250 grams softened butter
150 grams bitter orange peel marmalade
Mix the starter with the flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and yeast on low speed for five minutes. Add the salt and knead on medium for 10 minutes. Add the butter and mix for another five minutes, followed by the marmalade.
Cover and let the dough rise for three hours. Gently deflate it, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, divide the dough into four round loaves. Decorate with strips of firmer dough shaped like bones and place a small ball in the center. Let the loaves rise for approximately three hours.
Bake at 175°C or 350°F for about 45 minutes. Once completely cool, brush with simple syrup and coat generously with white sugar.
Sandra’s Día de Muertos in San Miguel
Living in San Miguel has brought Sandra closer to Mexican traditions and changed the way she thinks about life and death
“Every Día de Muertos feels a little different, depending on where you are in life,” she says. “But for me, it is mostly a celebration—of life, of those we love, and of the beauty of remembering them.”
She especially loves seeing cempasúchil throughout the city, mixed with the colors, flowers, candles, and altars that make San Miguel feel magical during the celebration.
Her personal traditions include Pan de Muerto from Panio—“non-negotiable,” she says—followed by dinner at Hortus and the Casa Dragones celebration.
She also loves walking through the city to see the altars, especially the display at Hotel Hacienda El Santuario. For Sandra, seeing how each place interprets the tradition is part of the magic.
Whether you attend the Panio Lab workshop, bake your own loaf, or simply enjoy a slice with coffee or hot chocolate, Pan de Muerto is a meaningful way to participate in the season.
Before taking the first bite, notice its round shape, crossed bones, citrus fragrance, and sugar coating. It is not simply a festive bread—it is history, memory, and centuries of Mexican tradition baked into every loaf.
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