Description
If you were lucky enough to grow up in an Italian-American home, there’s a good chance you got to enjoy the smell of freshly baked Easter bread, with its unmistakable anisette aroma filling the air. This loaf of Easter bread is one of my favorite holiday traditions, and an authentic family heirloom recipe; made the same way as my mother, and her mother, and her mother’s mother made it. I hope you give this a try, and remember, it’s never too late to start an old family tradition. Frost with pink icing and top with sprinkles!
Ingredients
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ cup warm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C)
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons anise extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon anise seed
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 15 hrs
Servings: 12