Onion Braid

I made this last week. It is a recipe I got from a friend we met while working for the U.S. Embassy in Sofia Bulgaria back in 1995 and 1996. We had a club/group of sorts there. We started calling it the gourmet group but found that was too intimidating so we changed it to EATS. That actually stood for something though I can't remember what. We would meet once a month and each others homes and have different themes. We had appetizers, we had soups, we had south of your border (which could be very interesting) and family favorites among others. I haven't made this recipe in forever. It was fun to remember how good it is and to remember David and Georgianne. Thanks again Georgianne.

For the bread:
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
1 egg

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, hot water, milk, butter and egg. Blend until moistened and beat 500 strokes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).

Filling:

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Prepare filling by melting butter in saucepan and adding remaining ingredients. Saute until onion is transparent.

Punch down the dough and place on a floured surface. Knead until no longer sticky. Roll into an 18x12 rectangle. Spread with filling then cut lengthwise into three strips. Roll each strip lengthwise and seal edges and ends with water. ON a greased cookie sheet, braid the three rolls together. Cover and allow to rise until doubled (45-60 minutes) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.