Italian Almond Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs (beaten)
2 (1/4 ounce) packages dry yeast
2 cups water
1 tablespoon anise seed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup almonds (ground)

Preparation

Using 2 cups warm water dissolve yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Add all ingredients, except flour and almonds. Mix well.
Add 3 cups flour and beat till smooth.
Add almonds and enough additional flour till dough is easy to handle.
On a lightly floured board, knead bread till smooth.
Place in a greased bowl then turn 180 degrees to where the greased side is up, cover and let stand in a warm place.
When bread dough has risen and doubled in size (50-60 minutes), punch down and divide in half.
Form each half into a loaf and place each into greased bread pans. Let dough rise till doubled in size.
Bake at 350 degrees in a pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes. Baking times may vary. To test, tap top of bread with finger. It should make a hollow sound. The loaves should look shiny and golden brown.
Remove from pans and brush with warm butter.