Put the warm water in the bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Gently mix together until the sugar dissolves then allow to sit in a warm area for at least 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the salt and the flour.
Chop the butter into chunks and add to the flour bowl. Use your hands (or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook) to mix the butter in with the flour until it gets a crumbly texture.
Push the flour to the sides of the bowl to form a well in the center. Add the yeast water into the well and slowly mix the flour into it.
Use your hands or a stand mixer to mix all the flour from the sides into the yeast water. Mix just until it all hold together.
Lightly flour a medium surface and dump out the dough onto it. Use your hands to knead consistently for about 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and well mixed.
Shape the dough into a ball by kneading or pulling the edges together and tucking in to form a smooth surface on the other side.
Place the dough, seam side down, into a large, lightly greased bowl and cover it with a slightly moist dish cloth.
Leave the dough to rise in a warm spot for about an hour. You want it to have doubled in size.
Once the dough has gotten big enough, place it back on the floured surface and knead again into a smooth ball. The dough will deflate, so don’t worry about that.
Divide the dough into three equal portions and roll each portion out into a long log shape.
Each strip should be about 1 ½ feet long and be as even as possible in girth.
Lay all the dough strips next to each other at one end and pinch the tips together.
Braid the strips together, being careful not to rip the dough anywhere. When you have finished the braid, pinch the tips together at that end as well.
Put a sheet of parchment paper on top of a baking tray and grease it with non-stick baking spray or a little bit of butter. Transfer the dough onto the baking tray.
Cover the braided dough with a moist kitchen towel again and allow it to rise in a warm spot for 45-60 minutes. It should double in size again.
Once the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Put the bread in the heated oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how your oven works. When done, the bread should be golden brown and cooked all the way through.
Take the bread out of the oven and immediately use a pastry brush to brush melted butter on top.
Move the bread to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool before serving.