If you want to taste star anise in a unique way, we highly recommend this recipe. Before making this, I’ve only had anise in savory dishes like pho, but I wanted to try and make a baked good with its licorice-like flavor.
Of course, since muffins are so easy, I first made these in muffin form, but it also made quite a good loaf. The loaf is great because it supports glaze options. It adds texture and flavor contrast, but again, it’s totally optional.
Observe, the plain loaf ~
It’s still delicious without any glaze, altho if you plan on skipping the glaze, I recommend making these as muffins. The extended cooking time for the loaf will dry it out without any glaze to add some moisture balancing.
Keep your anise in your bread, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T
Anise Bread with Orange Glaze
Ingredients
Batter:
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground star anise
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup hazelnut milk or other milk of choice
Orange Glaze (Optional):
- 1/4 cup Medjool dates pitted
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp liquid coconut oil
- 2 tsp arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
Instructions
Anise Bread (or Muffins!)
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Set oven to 350 F. Prepare either a loaf pan with parchment paper or a dozen muffin tin with liners.
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Mix all batter ingredients together in a large bowl.
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Bake for 45-50 minutes for a loaf (or 18-20 minutes for muffins) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Orange Glaze (optional)
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If dates aren’t soft, soak in warm water for 5 minutes.
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Place all glaze ingredients, except the coconut cream, a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and no chunks of dates remain. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed to incorporate all ingredients.
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Add the coconut cream and blend just enough to thoroughly combine.
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Once Anise bread (or muffins) has cooled, add the glaze as desired.