In Chicago, we frequently enjoyed pan de muerto, traditional Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos, from one of the many local panaderias. In the US, the pan de muerto we bought was usually a sweet brioche roll with two crossed “bones” on the top. Since pan de muerto is hard to find in Cleveland, we have previously made our own using the Chicano Eats recipe, which came out great. On a recent trip to Los Angeles in late October, we knew we wanted to find some pan de muerto in person. During our LA research, we came across some places specializing in regional Oaxacan pan de muerto, which is a bit different than what we are used to. These breads are also lightly sweetened, but are covered with sesame seeds, and may take the form of larger doll shapes or rounds. They also come with colorful, adorable miniature faces made from hardened masa and painted in vibrant hues. It is relatively hard to find recipes in English for this Oaxacan-style bread, but you can look at a photo story from Vogue Mexico.
We found this particular style of pan de muerto at two different bakeries we visited. First, at Venice Bakery (1529 S Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA), there were variations of the Oaxacan pan de muerto in many different sizes, some quite elaborately decorated. In addition to a large bakery section, Venice also houses a store with some dry goods and a restaurant. Corredor Oaxaqueño Market (4475 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA) also had the same small rolls for sale (see above). You could even buy the small masa faces that go in them, alongside a few other baked goods, and an assortment of other implements for your ofrenda. We also sampled a new-to-us drink there, tejate (see below), made from toasted masa, flavored with coconut. Absolutely delicious! Other Oaxacan bakeries in LA also offer the regional form of day of the dead bread, and we look forward to trying more variations in the future.
Eating The World 