Swedish Tea Ring

Gather the ingredients.

Heat the milk, butter, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, getting it to a simmer, but not a boil. Remove from the heat and let it cool to lukewarm. This may take 10 minutes or so. You can transfer it to the fridge in another bowl if you need to speed up the process.

Pour the yeast over the top of the milk mixture and stir to combine.

Add 7 cups of the flour and stir together gently.

Cover with a towel and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

Add the rest of the flour and the baking powder and stir to combine.

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 large pieces.

Roll out one piece at a time into a large rectangle. Leave it relatively thick, about 1/2 inch. Make sure the rectangle is long, width-wise. (Think hot dog, not hamburger.)

Pour about 3/4 cup of butter over the dough and sprinkle about half the cinnamon and sugar over the top.

Top with half of the dried fruits and chopped pecans.

Roll the dough away from you in a tight roll until it is completely rolled up. Pinch the seam together and then cut into 2-inch slices.

Bring the two ends of the roll together and pinch them together. Gently transfer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cut large slits 3/4 of the way through the dough, make about 10 cuts. Turn each cut section onto its side. 

Brush the top of the ring with melted butter and cover gently with a cloth. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let it rise for about 30 minutes. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 375 F.

 Bake rolls for about 25 minutes, do not over bake. They should be lightly brown and slightly firm to the touch. Tent with some foil if it is browning too quickly. 

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract. If it is too thick add a little more milk, if it is too thin add a little more confectioners' sugar. 

Remove rings from the oven and if you can manage let them cool a bit and then drizzle icing over the top, slice and serve!