1. Set up an ofrenda
2. Make paper banners
3. Make Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead)
4. Make skeletons
5. Make sugar skulls
Families begin to prepare for the Days of the Dead in mid-October. The heart of the festival is the ofrenda, a special table with offerings and decorations. I set up my ofrenda a couple of weeks ago.
The ofrenda is decorated with arches, candles, incense, skeleton toys, and marigolds. The family also displays some of the dead person’s favorite foods and things, photographs, sugar skulls, and little gifts.
2. Make paper banners:
The ofrenda needs delicate cut paper banners on the front edge, on the wall behind, and on the ceiling overhead. Mexican artists cut through about 30 pieces of tissue paper at once. They pin the sheets to the table, draw the design on the top sheet and then cut with special stamping tools. We have an easier method.
Supplies: Tissue paper, posterboard patterns, pen, scissors, string, glue
1- I made some patterns on posterboard for simple banners that we use every year.
We cut a piece of tissue to just a little bigger than the pattern, leaving a few extra inches on the top edge to fold over.
2. Next we trace the pattern onto the tissue.
3. And cut it out.
4. Then layer the cut piece over a plain piece and fold down the edge.
5. Then glue the two layers together, with a piece of string under the flap for hanging. And that's it!
3. Make Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead):
Pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, is a rich sweetbread flavored with anise and orange peel. It is most often formed into a simple round loaf with crisscrossed bones of dough on top, and colored sugar sprinkles.
Ingredients
1. Bring the milk and butter just to a boil and remove it from the heat. Stir in the sugar and salt and stir. Let it cool to lukewarm
2. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let it stand 5 minutes. Add the warm milk mixture, grated orange rind and anise seed.
3. Separate the egg yolk and white. Add the yolk to the yeast mixture, but save the white for later.
4. Add flour and blend well. Knead the dough on a floured board until it is smooth. Return to bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in warm place for 90 minutes, or until doubled.
5. Preheat the oven to 350º. Knead the dough again, then divide out about 1/4 of the dough and set it aside. Form the remaining dough into a smooth round loaf (or smaller rolls), and place it onto a greased baking sheet. Beat the egg white lightly with a bit of water, and brush over the loaf.
6. Divide the reserved dough into one small ball and two larger pieces. Form the larger pieces into long thin bones. Press down the ends of each bone to look like the joint knobs. Cross the bones over the loaf so the ends reach to the pan, and brush with more egg white.
7. Shape the smaller piece into a disk or skull shape and press it firmly into the center of the loaf. Brush with the last of the egg white. Cover the bread with a towel and let it rise for 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, sprinkle the loaf with colored sugar, and bake at 350º for 35 minutes.
4. Make skeletons:
Almost every year we make new skeleton sculptures to put on the ofrenda. It's tricky, but so much fun!
These were made with white fimo over wire, hot-glued to a wooden base, and painted with black details.
The fun part is adding the clothing and details that explain what the skeleton is doing.
5. Make sugar skulls:
Candy makers in Mexico sell thousands of sugar skulls before the Days of the Dead. They form the skulls by pressing white sugar paste into a mold, then they pipe pastel icing onto the candy, and decorate the eyes and mouth with bits of shiny paper or foil. Sometimes they write a name on the forehead.
We make our skulls from almond paste, lime juice, and powdered sugar, decorated with frosting and metallic origami paper.
Ingredients:
Makes 4-5 skulls-
1- Mix together almond paste, lime juice, and most of the powdered sugar in a bowl. Knead together with your hands. Keep adding sugar until the candy is very stiff.
2- Knead the candy again on wax paper, and divide it into 4-5 pieces. Chill.
3- Shape into a skull, add bits of foil paper for eyes, and pipe on frosting decorations.
The ofrenda is decorated with arches, candles, incense, skeleton toys, and marigolds. The family also displays some of the dead person’s favorite foods and things, photographs, sugar skulls, and little gifts.
2. Make paper banners:The ofrenda needs delicate cut paper banners on the front edge, on the wall behind, and on the ceiling overhead. Mexican artists cut through about 30 pieces of tissue paper at once. They pin the sheets to the table, draw the design on the top sheet and then cut with special stamping tools. We have an easier method.
Supplies: Tissue paper, posterboard patterns, pen, scissors, string, glue
1- I made some patterns on posterboard for simple banners that we use every year.
We cut a piece of tissue to just a little bigger than the pattern, leaving a few extra inches on the top edge to fold over.
2. Next we trace the pattern onto the tissue.
3. And cut it out.
4. Then layer the cut piece over a plain piece and fold down the edge.
5. Then glue the two layers together, with a piece of string under the flap for hanging. And that's it!
3. Make Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead):
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1/4 c. butter in small pieces
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 c. very warm water
- 1 egg
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. each, grated orange rind and anise seed
- colored sugar sprinkles
1. Bring the milk and butter just to a boil and remove it from the heat. Stir in the sugar and salt and stir. Let it cool to lukewarm
2. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let it stand 5 minutes. Add the warm milk mixture, grated orange rind and anise seed.
3. Separate the egg yolk and white. Add the yolk to the yeast mixture, but save the white for later.
4. Add flour and blend well. Knead the dough on a floured board until it is smooth. Return to bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in warm place for 90 minutes, or until doubled.5. Preheat the oven to 350º. Knead the dough again, then divide out about 1/4 of the dough and set it aside. Form the remaining dough into a smooth round loaf (or smaller rolls), and place it onto a greased baking sheet. Beat the egg white lightly with a bit of water, and brush over the loaf.
6. Divide the reserved dough into one small ball and two larger pieces. Form the larger pieces into long thin bones. Press down the ends of each bone to look like the joint knobs. Cross the bones over the loaf so the ends reach to the pan, and brush with more egg white.
8. After 30 minutes, sprinkle the loaf with colored sugar, and bake at 350º for 35 minutes.
4. Make skeletons:
These were made with white fimo over wire, hot-glued to a wooden base, and painted with black details. The fun part is adding the clothing and details that explain what the skeleton is doing.
5. Make sugar skulls:
We make our skulls from almond paste, lime juice, and powdered sugar, decorated with frosting and metallic origami paper.
Ingredients:
- 8-oz can of almond paste
- juice of one lime
- 6 c. of powdered sugar
- Colored icing in tubes
- foil paper
1- Mix together almond paste, lime juice, and most of the powdered sugar in a bowl. Knead together with your hands. Keep adding sugar until the candy is very stiff.2- Knead the candy again on wax paper, and divide it into 4-5 pieces. Chill.
3- Shape into a skull, add bits of foil paper for eyes, and pipe on frosting decorations.
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