8 oz. mixed candied fruit
4 oz. candied cherries, halved
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. currants
1/2 c. brandy
1 1/2 c. milk
2 env. dry yeast
3/4 c. plus 1/2 tsp. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. almond extract
8 c. flour
1 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. butter, melted

GLAZE:

1 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix candied fruits, raisins, currants and brandy, cover and let soak overnight. Next day, heat milk until very warm, pour into large mixing bowl, add yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add beaten eggs, sugar, butter, cardamom, lemon rind, almond extract and 3 cups flour.

Mix until smooth. Stir in enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth, about 15 minutes, on a floured surface, adding additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Place dough in a buttered bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Pour liquid off of candied fruit mixture, drain fruits until very dry on paper towels.

Mix almonds with candied fruit. Punch dough down, return to floured surface. Knead in fruits and almonds just until evenly distributed, if mixed too long, fruit will discolor the dough. Let dough rise again in buttered, covered bowl, for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled. Punch dough down, return to floured surface. Divide into 3 portions, roll to about 6 x 10 inch rectangle, brush with melted butter.

Fold in half lengthwise, pressing edges to keep dough from opening, taper ends slightly. Place each loaf on a greased cookie sheet, each loaf should be curved to resemble a crescent shape with the folded side facing in. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake each loaf for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Mix glaze ingredients until smooth, then drizzle over loaves. Decorate with candied cherries and almonds, if desired. Makes 3 loaves.