Pan De Muertos-Bread of the Dead

Bread traditionally made for Dia de Los Muertos,or in my family ,on my birthday,which just so happens to be on the same day.My mom's made this for me every year since I was about 15;it originally came from a Mexican cookbook(don't remember the title)This bread is sweet and egg-y;btw it makes excellent French Toast the next day.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 35 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1  cup milk
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup  plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1  tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
• 1  teaspoon anise seed
• 1  tablespoon active dry yeast (1 envelope)
• 1⁄4 cup  plus 1 teaspoon warm water
• 2  eggs
• 3  egg yolks
• 5 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
8. Set the loaves on the baking sheets and let rise until doubled again,about 45 minutes;meanwhile preheat oven to 360 f.
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.
10. Let cool completely before serving.