Challah (jewish Egg Bread)

Mrs. Beverly Applebaum
Potato water is simply the water potatoes were boiled in. It is commonly
used in Jewish cooking and adds richness, but plain water can be
substituted.
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix the salt, sugar, and oil with
the hot potato water. When this water cools to lukewarm, dissolve the yeast
in some of it and stir it into the flour to make a sponge in the center of
he bowl; cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Add the 3 eggs, slightly
beaten, to the sponge and stir in the remaining potato water mixture to
make a dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead it until smooth and
elastic and until it does not stick to the board or your hands. Return the
dough to the bowl, brush its top with oil, and let it rise in a warm place
until it doubles in bulk. Punch it down and knead it on a floured board for
10 minutes. Cut the dough in half and divide each half into 3 strips; braid
these strips to make two braided loaves. Place these loaves on a greased
cookie sheet and let them rise until doubled in bulk. Brush with egg yolk
beaten with water and sprinkle with poppy seeds. To make the surface more
yellow, you may steep the saffron in a little hot water, remove the
saffron, and mix the water with the egg yolk. Bake the loaves 15 minutes in
a 400 oven; reduce to 375 and bake another 45 minutes.