Brians Bread
Submitted by psycnrs1 on August 06, 2002 at 6:29 am

I could not resist. Mexican Bread of the Dead. It is a celebratory loaf for All Souls Day. It is a happy day when the Mexican and Spanish people celebrate the souls of their dead. It is traditionally decorated with a dough skull, bones and tears.

3 star anise
90ml/6 tsp. cold water
675g/6 c. unbleached bread flour
5 ml/1 tsp. salt
115g/1/2 c. castor sugar
25g/1 oz. fresh yeast
175ml/3/4 c. lukewarm water
3 eggs
60 ml/4 tsp. orange liqueur
115g/1/2 c. melted butter
grated rind of one orange
icing sugar for dusting

Grease a 26cm/10 1/2 in. fluted round cake tin.

Place the star anise in a small saucepan and add cold water. Bring to a boil and boil 3-4 minutes or liquid has reduced to 3 tbsp/45 ml. Discard star anise and let water cool.

Sift the flour and salt together in large bowl; stir in sugar. Make a well in center.

In a bowl dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Pour into center of flour. Mix in a little flour until a smooth thick batter forms. Sprinkle over a little more of the flour, cover with film and let sit in warm place for 30 minutes or mixture starts to bubble.

Beat the eggs, the reserved liquid from star anise, orange liqueur and melted butter together. Gradually incorporate into the flour mixture until forms a smooth dough.

Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead in the orange rind. Knead for 5-6 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a 26cm/10 1/2 inch round and place in prepared tin.
Cover with oiled film. Place in warm place and let rise 2-3 hours, or almost to top of tin doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 190cel./375 degree f./Gas mark 5. Bake until golden, about 40-45 minutes. Turn to wire rack to cool. Dust with sugar to serve.

You may also serve with orange icing. Blend 60g/1/2 c. icing sugar and 15-30ml/1-2 tblsp. orange liqueur. Drizzle over bread before serving.