Italian Christmas Bread with Eggnog Glaze |
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Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes |
Ready In: 70 Minutes Servings: 1 |
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My husband fondly recalls the Anise Bread that his Italian grandmother used to make during the holidays. She evidently never had a recipe (and never used a bread machine!) so this is what I came up with for a quick, special Christmas bread. This rich bread has a wonderful aroma while baking. Ingredients:
for the bread |
1/2 cup hazelnuts |
1 cup eggnog, plus |
1 tablespoon eggnog |
2 tablespoons white sugar |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
3 tablespoons butter, softened |
1 egg |
1 egg yolk |
3 cups bread flour |
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast |
2 tablespoons anise seed |
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon |
for the glaze |
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar |
1 tablespoon eggnog |
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Spread hazelnuts evenly on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the nuts to a bowl, and let them cool.
3. Place the eggnog, sugar, salt, butter, egg, egg yolk, bread flour, yeast, anise seed, and cinnamon into the bread machine. Program the machine for a basic cycle with the crust as medium. Press start. Do not use the delay timer.
4. Place the cooled toasted hazelnuts into the machine between Knead Cycle 1 and Knead Cycle 2. When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack.
5. Prepare the glaze by combining the confectioners' sugar and eggnog in a bowl; mix well. It should be a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze on the cooled bread before slicing.
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