Copyright The Oregonian
Every year as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, approaches, bakeries across Portland fill their shelves with pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, a sweet, round load typically topped with sugar or sesame seeds. The bread’s round shape symbolizes the cycle of life and death, while the cross of dough on top represents bones. The loaf is placed on a family’s ofrenda, or altar, as an offering for the dead. For the two-day holiday celebrated Nov. 1-2, ofrendas are adorned with food, marigolds, sugar skulls, candles and other sentimental items to guide and welcome the souls back. For many, pan de muerto is a seasonal staple. But at La Casa de Mamá, a vegan pop-up bakery in Portland, it’s a handmade item that brings family together. For chef and founder Miriam Carrera, baking the traditional bread is a way to honor the past and preserve cultural connection. “Pan de muerto is made to honor those who have passed away, and we place it in the altar as a gift,” she said in Spanish. “ Making our ofrenda, and honoring our deceased, the people who have passed away, is something very special and something we do from the heart.” Carrera runs La Casa de Mamá with her two children, Alexa and Cesar Cid Carrera. Each fall, the family prepares for a surge of pan de muerto orders, baking the loaves fresh daily from Oct. 1 through Nov. 2. “Pan de muerto, to me, and Día de los Muertos overall just means connection to our roots, our culture and our family,” Alexa said. “No matter how far away we are from home, we’re still able to celebrate our loved ones in the same way that our family back in Mexico does.” Miriam has developed her own vegan version of the traditional recipe, preserving the signature flavors of orange zest, orange blossom water, anise and cinnamon while adapting it for a plant-based diet. The dough combines these traditional flavorings with plant-based milk and butter, along with flour, sugar, salt and yeast. As one of the few vegan Mexican bakeries in Portland, La Casa de Mamá offers an inclusive take on the annual tradition. “Making it vegan so that it’s more accessible to folks with dietary restrictions is just something so special to us,” Alexa said. “It just allows us to share this little piece of our culture with a much broader audience, which is our goal at the end of the day.” While the base dough stays true to tradition, the toppings offered at La Casa de Mamá change each year. This year’s lineup includes sesame seeds, sugar with jamaica (hibiscus), sugar with cempasúchil (marigold flowers), black sugar made from burnt corn leaves and a festive version decorated with multicolored frosting. Pan de muerto is also available in a seasonal pumpkin shape. Whether you’re craving a sweet seasonal flavor or a classic sesame-topped loaf, here’s where to find pan de muerto in and around Portland this year. La Casa de Mamá Offers sesame, black sugar, hibiscus, cempasúchil, pumpkin-shaped and frosting-decorated pan de muerto. Pre-order for pickup through Nov. 2. La Casa de Mamá: hours vary weekly; pickup orders at 5018 N.E. 22nd Ave., Portland; @lacasademamapdx on Instagram, lacasademamapdx.com Dos Hermanos Pan de muerto pre-orders are open for one-pound loaves topped with sugar or sesame. Pickup is available Oct. 26-Nov. 2. Limited walk-ins; 72-hour notice required. Pre-orders close Oct. 30. Dos Hermanos Bakery: 7 a.m.-4 p.m. daily; 1015 S.E. Stark St., Portland and 12400 S.W. Broadway St., Beaverton; doshermanosbakery.com and @2_hermanos_bakery on Instagram. Tany’s Café Con Pan Tany’s Café Con Pan serves traditional Michoacán-style pan de muerto with coconut glaze, sesame seeds and sugar. The bread is served as rolls and monos (monkeys). Tany’s Café Con Pan: 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. -6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 24173 N.E. Halsey St., Wood Village; @tanyscafeconpan on Instagram. Tienda Y Panadería Santa Cruz This St. Johns bakery offers pan de muerto topped with sugar or sesame seeds. Medium and large sizes; buy in store or place a phone order for larger quantities. Tienda Y Panaderia Santa Cruz: 7 a.m. -10 p.m. daily; 8630 N. Lombard St. Portland; Tienda Y Panaderia Santa Cruz #2 on Facebook. Panaderia Super Market 5 De Mayo Pan de muerto with sugar or sesame. Available in small, medium and large rounds or shaped as muñecos (dolls). Bulk orders by phone. Panaderia Super Market 5 De Mayo: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; 1134 S.E. 82nd Ave., Portland; Panadería y Carnicería 5 de Mayo on Facebook. Supermercados México Pan de muerto in three sizes with sugar, sesame and coconut flakes at the Portland location only. Supermercados México: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 17420 S.E. Division St., Portland; 6:45 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; 970 S.E. Oak St., Hillsboro; Supermercado Mexico (Portland) and Supermercados Mexico (Hillsboro) on Facebook. El Campesino PDX Pan de muerto topped with sugar or sesame, in regular and large sizes. El Campesino PDX: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; 6611 S.E. Powell Blvd., Portland; @elcampesinopdx on Instagram and El Campesino PDX on Facebook. La Tapatía Supermarket Sugar and sesame pan de muerto in small and large sizes, available in Portland and Gresham. La Tapatía Supermarket: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday- Sunday; 18330 S.E. Stark St., Portland; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; 1025 E. Powell Blvd., Gresham; latapatiasupermarket.com. La Espiga Dorada Bakery Fresh pan de muerto available in the afternoon; call ahead for details. La Espiga Dorada Bakery: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; 18370 S.W. Tualatin Valley Highway., Ste. A, Aloha; La Espiga Dorada Bakery on Facebook and @laespigadoradabakery on Instagram. Sanchez Taqueria Y Panaderia This popular bakery and restaurant in Tigard offers pan de muerto in two sizes with sugar or sesame seeds. Sanchez Taqueria Y Panaderia: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday; 13050 S.W. Pacific Highway., Tigard; sancheztaqueriapdx.com and @sancheztaqueriaypanaderia on Instagram. La Imperial Bakery Pan de muerto with sugar or sesame in small, medium and large sizes at locations in Hillsboro and Beaverton. La Imperial Bakery: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday; 1895 S.E. Tualatin Valley Highway, Hillsboro and 8154 S.W. Hall Blvd., Beaverton, panaderiaypastelerialaimperial.com Panaderia Mexicana Cinco de Mayo Pan de muerto with sugar or sesame toppings. Panaderia Mexicana Cinco de Mayo: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; 8416 S.E. 32nd Ave., Portland. Santa Cruz Bakery & Taqueria Pan de muerto available in sugar or sesame varieties; call ahead to confirm availability and place larger orders. Santa Cruz Bakery & Taqueria: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; 24 S.E. 82nd Ave., Portland; ordersantacruzbakeryandtaqueria.com Veracruz Taqueria & Bakery At this Washington bakery, you can find plain, sesame seed and sugar-topped pan de muerto. Veracruz Taqueria & Bakery: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 3405 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver; veracruztaqueria.com Faith and cultural connections Día de los Muertos 2025: Eventos en Portland donde se celebra el Día de los Muertos Día de los Muertos 2025: Portland events celebrate Day of the Dead Tigard temple marks Diwali with prayers for renewal and prosperity How Oregon became first state to earn ‘accessibility verified’ travel designation Esta panadería de Wood Village ofrece una amplia selección de pasteles mexicanos
