Scald milk. Stir in butter, sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and stir in the milk mixture, the eggs, the crushed anise seeds, the fruit, and half the flour. Beat until smooth. Add the remaining flour and work it in to make a stiff dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, turning it over once. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about 2 hours. Punch it down and let it rest 10 minutes.

Shape the dough into 2 even balls. Place each one on a butter baking sheet, cover with a towel, and let rise again until doubled. Bake the loaves for about 40 minutes at 350F.