Apples & Honey Challah

 

I had a bit of fun this year for my High Holy Days challah bake.  I've wanted to do some kind of apple-filled one for a year or two, and never got around to it.

For those who don't know, apples dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah tradition.  There are apple/honey cakes, which I don't really like, and all sorts of other goodies along those lines.  I happen to prefer simple apple slices dipped in a bit of honey for my treat.

I did have trouble finding dried apples.  Could have been just me.  I often don't see things on market shelves right in front of my face unless they're alphabetized.  I finally found dried apple rings at Sprouts.  It was more than I was planning to buy, so there will be other recipes using them.  Dried (dehydrated) apples are different than freeze-dried chips.  They still have a decent amount of moisture in them, and are very snackable.

This is the same recipe as Challah #2, but I'll post it again for simplicity.

2-1/4 tsp (1 packet) yeast
1 C 100º water
*1/4 C honey
4-1/2 C bread flour (or 5-1/2 C A.P.)
*3 eggs, room temperature, plus 1 for egg wash
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1 C chopped dried apple slices

1.  Stir together yeast, water, and honey and allow to sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

2.  In stand mixer with the paddle (or by hand), combine yeast mixture and 1/2 C flour.  Beat into a thin batter.

3.  Beat in 3 eggs, then 1 C flour until smooth.  Beat in oil and salt.

4.  Switch to the dough hook and knead in remaining 3 C of flour until smooth and it rides the hook, 10 minutes.  If doing it by hand, go easy on the flour by 1/2 C because you're going to end up kneading more in.  Pour onto a floured surface and finish kneading by hand.  This time, I chose to do it on a washed countertop instead of the pastry board.  It gave me more space, but I still had to wash it again when I was done.  Shape dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl.  Allow to rise in a warm place until tripled, up to 90 minutes.

5.  Punch down dough.  Divide into however many loaves you want.  For the wreath design, roll out one dough ball into a long rope.  Flatten it with a rolling pin.  Cut the piece in half lengthwise, then place apple pieces along the length.  Pinch shut back into ropes, then twist the ropes together.  Make into a ring and place on parchment-lined sheet pan.  If you know what honey container you're going to use, put a glass or wadded up foil in the middle to keep the size of the hole.  For a turban design, just roll out the rope, fill it, and pinch it shut.  Coil into a snail shape and place on parchment.  There are certainly other shapes you can do.  Be creative.

6.  Let loaves rise about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven, more on a cold day.  Beat remaining egg with a little water into an egg wash.  I tried a hack where you put the egg and water into a half-pint jar and shake it really hard until it's scrambled.  It worked pretty well.  Brush loaves all over with egg wash.  Any bare spots will show.

7.  Bake 30-40 minutes, depending on size of loaves, until they sound hollow when thumped.  Cool completely and serve or freeze for later.

Makes about 2 lbs of dough

Difficulty rating  :)