French Spiced Bread

Preheat oven to 325 °F. Grease loaf pans with melted butter. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and fragrant, 6 –8 minutes. Coarsely chop zest, apricots, plums, and toasted almonds. Transfer to a small bowl. Bring honey, milk, salt, cinnamon, and star anise to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, spice mix, and baking soda in a large bowl. Strain honey mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk until incorporated. Using a spatula, quickly fold in zest mixture. Divide dough between prepared pans, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake bread until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 –40 minutes. Let bread cool 10 minutes in pan, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack.