Challah is a special bread in Jewish cuisine, typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. Rosh hashanah has begun, starting today. Happy New Year! This harvest apple challah is perfect in celebrating the season.
Challah is made in various sizes and shapes, all of which have a meaning. Braided ones, which may have three, four, or six strands, and because they look like arms intertwined, symbolizing love. Apples and honey are traditionally eaten at Rosh Hashanah to express the hope for a sweet new year. Tender and just slightly sweet, this bread’s round shape symbolizes the cycle of one year’s passing and the beginning of the next.
I’ve really enjoyed making the apple challah. It looks more complicated than the time and effort it takes to produce one. When you’re in the spirit of making something special and iconic, you take extra care in following each and every step. As the challah slowly emerges, more beautiful than you’ve anticipated, it feels wonderful.
Instead of detailing the process, let me simply walk you through the critical shaping steps — with pictures shown below. Happy baking!
Harvest Apple Challah
Ingredients
- Dough
- 1/2 cup (113g) water, lukewarm
- 6 tablespoons (74g) vegetable oil, safflower preferred
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups (482g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon (9g) instant yeast or active dry yeast
- Filling
- 3 cups (340g) apples, cored but unpeeled, cut in 3/4 ̋ chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- Topping
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- coarse sparkling sugar, optional
- honey for drizzling, optional
Instructions
TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Mix together all of the dough ingredients. Knead the dough in your mixer at medium-low speed for 6 minutes, or by hand for 8 minutes. The dough should be soft and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 2 hours, or until puffy; when you poke the dough with your finger, the dent will remain and not bounce back. If you've made the dough in a bread machine, allow it to rise in the machine for an extra hour after the dough cycle is completed.
Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan that's at least 2" deep, or a 9" or 10" tube pan.
Gently deflate the risen dough, transfer it to a lightly greased work surface, and flatten it into an 8" x 10" rectangle (or a circle in whatever shape is easier to roll).
TO MAKE THE FILLING: Toss the apple chunks with the cinnamon and sugar.
TO ASSEMBLE: Spread half the apple mixture in the center of the dough. Fold one short edge over the apples to cover them, patting the edges firmly to seal the apples inside.
Spread the remaining filling on top of the folded-over dough. Cover with the other side of the dough, again patting firmly and pinching the edges to seal.
Using a bench knife, cut the apple-filled dough in half lengthwise, then in eight strips across the short length. This will be messy, with some apples falling out.
Transfer the portions of dough and any stray apples to the prepared pan, forming a single layer across the bottom. Stack more dough on top of the first layer if needed to fit them all in.
Cover with greased plastic wrap or the reusable wrap of your choice, and let rise for about 1 hour, until puffy looking. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat your oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower third.
When the dough has risen, uncover it and brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake the challah for 55 to 65 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown. Some of the top pieces may caramelize; that’s OK.
Remove the challah from the oven and place it (still in the pan) on a rack for 5 minutes. After this rest, remove the challah from the pan and return it to the rack. Serve warm, drizzled with honey if desired.
Store covered at room temperature for up to three days; freeze for longer storage.
Notes
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/harvest-apple-challah-recipe
2 Comments
Linda
September 29, 2022 at 2:32 amThe directions say to press it into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle but your pictures are clearly showing it rolled into a circle … is it a 10-inch circle ?
Shirley@EverOpenSauce
September 29, 2022 at 6:56 pmThe picture is the definitively guide. Rolling out to a 10-inch circle is what I did. Thanks for pointing that out.