2 c. milk
1/2 lb. butter, melted
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. anise seed (opt.)
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 cake yeast (or 1 pkg.)
Enough flour to make a soft dough

Prepare yeast night before by dissolving in one cup of scalded milk which has been cooled to lukewarm and adding one cup of flour. Cover with wax paper.

The next day, melt butter and allow to cool. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, butter, 1 cup warm milk, salt and flavoring. Then add the yeast-flour mixture prepared the night before. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead well. Cover and let rise until double in size. Punch down and let rise again.

Shape dough as desired, place in baking pans and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until done. This recipe makes 3 loaves or one large ring. My mom always put boiled, colored eggs in the ring. The ring was braided. You do not need to put eggs in loaves if you don't want to.

My mother made large batches of bread and baked the bread in her brick oven. We did a lot of measuring to get this recipe because she used handfuls and pinches.