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1
Combine butter,1/2 cup sugar,salt,orange zest,and anise in a bowl,crushing the anise seeds with your fingers.Heat the milk in a small saucepan to 180 degrees(f) or just to the boiling point.Pour over the butter and spice mixture.Let cool .
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2
Stir in yeast and a small pinch of sugar into 1/4 cup warm water.Let it sit until the yeast is dissolved and frothy.
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3
Beat the eggs and egg yolks together.Measure out 2 tablespoons into a bowl;to the 2 tablespoons of egg add 1 teaspoon water,and set in fridge.
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4
Add the remaining egg to the yeast mixture.Mix yeast mixture with milk mixture.Stir in enough flour to form a stiff dough-this may be all 5 1/2 cups or slightly less.
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5
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10 minutes.dough should be shiny and elastic.Add more flour if the dough is too sticky to knead easily.
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6
Turn the dough into a greased bowl,turning the dough so all sides are slightly greased;cover with a cloth,and let rise until doubled in volume,about 1 hour.
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7
Punch down the dough,and let the dough rest while you grease 2 baking sheets.divide the dough into 2 parts.Shape each half into rounds,using 1/3 cup of dough from each round to form a skull or crossbones to decorate the bread.
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8
Set the loaves on the baking sheets and let rise until doubled again,about 45 minutes;meanwhile preheat oven to 360 f.
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9
Before baking brush each loaf with the egg glaze you set aside earlier and sprinkle with the remaining2 tablespoons of sugar.Bake 30 -35 minutes or until lightly browned and it sounds hollow if tapped on the bottom.
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10
Let cool completely before serving.
