Italian Christmas Bread with Eggnog Glaze

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.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 195 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons anise seed
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
• ½ cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup eggnog, plus
• 1 tablespoon eggnog

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.