Instructions: 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.

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