DESCRIPTION: A rich, sour-cream dough is laden with poppyseeds and braided into 5-inch sticks.
Combine flour, poppy seed and baking soda; set aside. Beat together butter, sugar and salt until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add flour in 1-cup increments, blending after each addition. Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic; refrigerate one hour. Preheat oven to 375. Divide dough in half; refrigerate one half. On well-floured surface, roll out half of dough into a 15" by 5" rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Using a floured knife, cut dough into 60 5x 1/4-inch strips; dip knife in flour often to facilitate cutting. Lay three 5-inch strips side by side on floured surface. Braid strips (working from middle toward the ends will make a more uniform braid), pinch ends together. Brush completed braids with egg white glaze; sprinkle lightly with poppyseed. Arrange braids, 1" apart, on buttered baking sheets. Repeat with second half of dough. Bake 13-16 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Cool on racks. Store airtight at room temp 5 days, freeze for three months. From "The Joy of Cookies," formatted by Theresa Grant, HWWK11b.