Sesame Anise Melts Food

SESAME-ANISE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the pizza dough, olive oil, melted butter, sugar, sesame seeds, anise seeds and orange-flower water in a food processor; pulse until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough gathers around the blade. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment. Form the dough into a ball and pat into a 6-inch disk on the parchment. Cover with a large bowl; let rise in a warm place until airy and spread into a flat round, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• Put an upside-down baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Remove the bowl from the dough; put the baking sheet with the dough on the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and continue baking until the bread sounds hollow when tapped, 15 to 20 more minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing.

ANISE SESAME COOKIES

Steps:

• Soak anise seeds in boiling-hot water until most of water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in 1 egg and anise seeds with any remaining soaking liquid until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide dough into 4 balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 3 hours.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• While oven preheats, roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin into a 7-inch round (slightly less than 1/4 inch thick; if dough becomes too soft to roll out, chill on a baking sheet until firm). Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with cutter and transfer to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging cookies about 1 inch apart. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Brush each cookie lightly with egg wash, then sprinkle with some of sesame seeds.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until bottoms are golden, 10 to 12 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely.
• Gather scraps and chill until firm enough to reroll. Make more cookies with remaining dough, scraps (reroll only once), and sesame seeds, then bake on cooled sheets.

SESAME ANISE MELTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the lard and sugar. Stir in the egg and anise seeds. Add dry ingredients, mix well. Put the sesame seeds into a shallow bowl or saucer. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, roll them in the sesame seeds to coat. Place them 1 1/2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten the balls slightly using the bottom of a glass.
• Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.