| 1 | Colored sprinkles |
| 2 | in a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour. |
| 3 | In a saucepan, combine milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted. |
| 4 | Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. |
| 5 | Add eggs and ?cup flour or enough to make a thick batter. |
| 6 | Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. |
| 7 | then stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl. |
| 8 | Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness. |
| 9 | Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. |
| 10 | Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk about 1 hour. |
| 11 | Meanwhile, combine the fruit,nuts, and anise seed. |
| 12 | Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board. |
| 13 | Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough. |
| 14 | Divide the dough in half. |
| 15 | Carefully roll each piece into a 24 inch rope - the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult. |
| 16 | Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet. |
| 17 | Pinch the ends together well. |
| 18 | Brush the dough with melted shortening. |
| 19 | Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg. |
| 20 | push eggs down carefully as far as possible. |
| 21 | Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm,draft-free place until double in bulk, about 1 hour. |
| 22 | Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean. |
| 23 | Place on a wire rack to cool. |
| 24 | Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles. |
| 25 | Makes 1 loaf. |
