Author Notes
Anise bread is a tradition around Easter and the beginning of spring in my family. But when making it in a rush one night, I started the recipe before realizing I had no milk, butter, or eggs. So I went vegan, with a olive oil and banana substitution which actually produced two small loaves instead of one, and the bread tasted even better than my family's recipe. You can also substitute 2 teaspoons of anise extract in place of fennel seeds. —ESB
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
one
1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
-
1 3/4 cups
warm water
-
2 tablespoons
fennel seeds
-
5 1/2 cups
unbleached bread flour plus additional if necessary
-
2 teaspoons
kosher salt
-
1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
-
1/3 cup
extra virgin olive oil
-
1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1 tablespoon
orange juice
-
1
very ripe, mushy banana
Directions
-
Add warm water to small bowl and sprinkle package of yeast into it. Let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
-
In a small skillet, toast fennel seeds over medium to med-high heat, careful not to burn seeds. Set aside after toasting.
-
In a large bowl sift together all the flour, salt, and pepper.
-
In a small bowl add banana (best sliced), vanilla extract, orange juice, and olive oil. Stir well until all are incorporated.
-
Add yeast mixture and banana mixture to flour. Using a wooden spoon and then your hands, blend well until dough ball is formed. Add toasted fennel seeds and knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour if dough gets too sticky. Dough is complete when it does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
-
Cover bowl with towel and let dough rise for 75 minutes or until double in size.
-
Preheat oven to 500° F and lightly oil two shallow round baking pans or one baking sheet. (spray canola oil is fine)
-
Punch dough down, divide in half and hand form 2 small boules. Bake for 10 minutes. Then lower oven to 350° F for an additional 30 to 35 minutes. Bread should be golden in color.
-
Bread is best toasted. Enjoy.
See what other Food52ers are saying.