Pan de Muertos
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c milk
1/4 c warm water (about 110 F)
3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp anise seed
1/4 c sugar, white
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp orange zest
Topping
1/4 c sugar, white
1/4 c orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
1-2 Tbsp sugar
Heat margarine and milk in saucepan until margarine melts. Remove from heat and add warm water. Set aside.
In large bowl, combine 1 c flour, yeast, salt, anise seed, and 1/4 c sugar. Beat in butter/milk mixture until well combined. Add flour 1/2 c at a time until dough is soft. Knead until elastic.
Place in lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic. Let raise about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Remove about 1/4 of dough. With remaining dough, make into a ball and place on greased cookie sheet. Split the remaining dough into 3 chunks. With two of the dough chunks, roll until they are long and place on top of round loaf in an "x". With remaining dough, roll into ball and place in middle of "x". Bake in preheated 350F oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven.
In saucepan, combine 1/4 c sugar, orange juice, orange zest and bring to boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a pastry brush, cover baked bread with glaze. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp sugar across bread. Best when served hot!
