Classic Easter Bread

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Ingredients

13 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons salt
4 packages dry yeast
2 cups milk
8 tablespoons butter
12 eggs
6 teaspoons anise seeds
Raw eggs for decorating
Food coloring

Directions

1. Combine 2 cups of flour with sugar, salt, and yeast.

2. Combine milk and butter in saucepan and warm. Add anise seeds to warmed milk and butter mixture; this allows the oil and aroma of the seeds to come out.

3. Add warmed milk and butter mixture to dry ingredients, making sure it is not too hot first. Beat together for one minute in a mixer on medium speed.

4. Add eggs and enough flour to make a thick dough. Beat at high speed. Stir in any remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Shape into a ball and put dough into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray or lightly greased.

5. Let rise. After the dough doubles in size, punch it down. 

6. This recipe should make four loaves of bread, of any shape. To make a braid, cut three equal pieces of a portion of the dough and roll into logs about 16 to 18 inches long. Braid the three together, then form into a ring. Let rise again until it has doubled in size.

7. Mix an egg yolk, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar together and brush it over the bread. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-25 minutes. Decorate with dyed eggs if you would like.