Stir yeast into milk, water, and evaporated milk.

Whisk in sugar, melted butter, and egg yolk.

Add 2 cups of flour and salt and stir until the dough becomes too hard to work with a spoon.

Switch to working in remaining flour by hand.

Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes.

Return dough to mixing bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the topping.

Simmer poppy seeds in milk with honey and sugar for 15 minutes and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough in half and roll out each portion into a long rope.

Cut each length into 12 pieces and shape into balls.

Place the balls on the baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart and let rise for 10 minutes.

Bake for 15 minutes, until they're a light golden brown.

While still warm, tip the rolls into a colander in the sink and pour 4 cups of boiling water over it, turning the balls while pouring.

Drain the rolls and toss with the poppy seed topping, coating well.

Spread on a baking sheet to dry and set.

These can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container.