Add flour to a large bowl and form a well in the middle of the flour.

Add yeast, a couple of tablespoons of sugar and ¼ cup lukewarm milk to the well. Stir mixture while incorporating a little bit of flour from the rim of the well.

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or lid and allow to sit for about 20 minutes.

Cover the well with some flour before you add the remaining ingredients.

Knead on low for about 3-5 minutes and on medium-high for another 5-8 minutes until a smooth dough forms.

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to raise for about 60-90 minutes.

In the meantime, place raisins into a small bowl and cover with rum or hot water and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, then drain then well.

Finely chop candied citrus peel or apricots.

Place the dough on a slightly floured working space and knead while incorporating the raisins and the candied citrus peel or dried apricots evenly into the dough.

Divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces.

Shape each piece to a ball and place onto a slightly floured area.

Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

Slash the bread four times in a cross pattern.

Place on with parchment paper lined baking sheets. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to raise for about 15-30 minutes.

Bake in a to 350 °F preheated oven for about 20 - 25 minutes.

In the meantime, add lemon or orange juice to the powdered sugar to a thick glaze.

Remove the bread from the oven, spread generously with the glaze and sprinkle with some sliced almonds.