Candy Cane Loaf- Cookie Allred

Ingredients
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
5-1/4 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) finely chopped dried apricots
1-1/2 cups finely chopped maraschino cherries

ICING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Directions
In a saucepan, heat sour cream until lukewarm. Set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, add sour cream, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and 2 cups flour. With an electric mixer, beat until smooth. Stir in just enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; divide into 3 equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each part into a 15-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Place on greased baking sheets. With a scissors, make 2-in. cuts at 1/2-in. intervals on the long sides of rectangle. Combine apricots and cherries; spread half of the mixture down the center of each rectangle. Crisscross strips over filling. Stretch dough to 22 in. curve to form cane. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes. While warm, brush canes with butter. Combine icing ingredients and drizzle. Yield: 3 coffee cakes.

30-36 Servings Prep: 40 min. + rising Bake: 15 min.