Ingredients
9 cups high gluten bread flour + as needed
2 Tbs Instant Yeast*
1½ Tbs ground cinnamon
1½ Tbs Kosher or Sea Salt
1¼ cups Milk
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup water + as needed
2 eggs lightly beaten
½ cup honey + as needed
1½ cups dried finely chopped apricots

Procedure
Mix flour, yeast, cinnamon, and salt; reserve.
Heat milk to lukewarm; stir in butter.

Add milk mixture, water, eggs, and honey to reserved dry ingredients; mix to form a soft dough. Add a little additional water if the dough is too dry or a little additional flour if the dough is too sticky.

Knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 10 minutes. Put the dough into a bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1-1/4 hours.
Punch down dough; knead in chopped apricots.

Divide dough into 9 equal portions about 8 ounces each; cover with plastic wrap. Let rest 1/2 hour. Roll each portion into a cylinder about 10-inches long. Pinch together ends of 3 lengths of dough; braid, pinching ends to finish.

Place loaf on doubled sheet pans (to prevent over browning of bottoms) covered with parchment paper. Make two more loaves with remaining pieces of dough; place on sheet pans.

Cover dough with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 325°F until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes.

Remove from oven; Brush with warmed honey. Cool.

*To use active dry yeast proof 2-1/2 tablespoons in 1/2 cup lukewarm water (deducted from the 2-1/2 cups in the ingredient list); add to dry ingredients with liquids.

Yield 3 loaves (1½ lbs each)