Lemon Anise Bread Recipes

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 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.

ANISE-LEMON BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Thinly slice a baguette; arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with softened butter and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake at 425 degrees F until lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Simmer 1/4 cup water, some thin strips of lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds and 2 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan until syrupy. Spread lemon curd on the toast rounds. Top with the candied zest and anise seeds.

LEMON CRANBERRY ANISE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 3500F.
• Spray an 8-1/2 x 4 in.
• loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, anise seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt unti l well combined.
• In a food processor or blender, place the banana, buttermilk, eggs, brown sugar, oil, lemon juice, peel and vanilla; process until smooth.
• Pour mixture into the dry ingredients; stir just until moistened.
• Stir in the cranberries.
• Spoon into the prepared pan.
• Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

ANISEED LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the sugar, honey and oil. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in aniseed. , Pour into a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

LEMON ANISE BREAD

Steps:

• Measure carefully, placing all ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.Select Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.Grease large cookie sheet. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each third into 20-inch rope. Braid ropes gently and loosely, starting at the middle. Pinch ends together tuck the ends under the braid. Place on cookie sheet. Shape braid into large half-moon shape. Cover and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)Heat oven to 400°. Brush egg over loaf. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Serve warm orcool on wire rack.1 slice: 115 calories (20 calories from fat) 2g fat (0g saturated) 0mg cholesterol 170mg sodium 22g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber) 3g protein.Do-ahead NoteCover the shaped dough on the cookie sheet with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it from 4-24 hours. Before baking remove plastic wrap, cover with kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place about 2 hours or until it is almost double. Then brush with egg and bake the loaf.ShapingStart braiding in the middle to prevent the dough from stretching and making the shape uneven. Also, keep the brad slightly loose, so there is room for the dough to rise. Shape braid into half-moon shape.From "Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook, The Goodness of Homemade Bread the Easy Way." Text Copyright 1999 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ANISE RAISIN BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, orange juice, butter, eggs, egg whites, lemon juice, orange zest, salt, lemon zest, extract and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two 8x4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.