Italian Anise Bread Recipes

ITALIAN ANISE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, and anise seed together in a very large bowl; create a well in the center.
• Mix warm water and yeast together in a bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.
• Beat warm milk, eggs, and butter together in a bowl; stir into yeast mixture. Add milk mixture to the well in the flour mixture. Knead flour-milk mixture using your hands until dough and your hands are no longer sticky. Cover dough with a clean cotton cloth and let rise, 8 hours to overnight.
• Grease and flour 6 loaf pans.
• Punch dough down and divide into 6 portions. Mold each portion into a round shape and place each in a prepared pan. Cover pans and let rise for 1 hour more.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until bread is cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes.

ITALIAN ANISE EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• In mixer bowl beat eggs. Add sugar, butter, crisco, oil, milk, and vanilla.
• Dissolve yeast in the warm water. You may want to use a thermometer to be sure the temperature is correct. Let yeast sit until it foams, as in package directions. Add to egg mixture. Add anise.
• Add flour one cup at a time until mixture is unmanageable. Transfer into LARGE pan (Dishpan works well.) and work in remaining flour, kneading with hands.
• Knead until you are too tired to knead any more (half hour?) and then oil top of dough ball, cover, and let rise in warm place 6 hours or overnight.
• Grease 6 loaf pans. Separate dough into 6 parts and knead each again. Cover with towels and let rise in warm place another couple of hours.
• Bake 1 hour at 275 degrees. Do not underbake or they will be hard as a rock. (Top should be lightly browned.).

ITALIAN EASTER BREAD (ANISE FLAVORED)

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup of flour with sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl, stir well. Place milk and anise extract into a small saucepan over low heat, and warm to about 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture with your hand, and pour in the milk mixture; swirl with your hand in a circular motion to combine the flour mixture with the milk mixture. Mix in butter and eggs, one at a time, then mix in remaining flour until dough begins to pull together.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead until soft but elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth, and let dough rest for 10 minutes; cut dough into halves.
• On floured work surface, roll each half into a ball, then shape the balls into 2 long pieces, about 1 1/2 inches thick and 18 to 20 inches long. Pinch the 2 top ends together, and loosely twist the pieces to form a twisted loaf; pinch the bottom ends together, and tuck the two ends underneath the loaf. (Alternately, form the twist into a ring, and pinch the ends together.)
• Grease a baking sheet, lay the loaf onto the prepared sheet, and cover with a damp towel; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush loaf with beaten egg, and sprinkle with colored decorating dragees.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake the decorated loaf in the preheated oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Watch closely towards the end of the baking time that the bread does not begin to burn. Transfer to wire rack immediately after baking to cool.

ITALIAN ANISE EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl dissolve yeast in water, let bubble.
• 2. Then blend all other ingredients in yeast water mixture, gradually add in flour.
• 3. Knead dough 5-10 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 5 hours.
• 4. Punch down after first rise, shape and place in greased loaf pans. Cover again with plastic wrap and let rise 2 more hours.
• 5. Mix one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk or water and brush tops of loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
• 6. NOTE: If you have time, you can let this rise overnight, punch dough down and shape, put in pan and let rise 3 more hours, then bake.