Apple Honey Challah
Rosh Hashanah begins this Wednesday at sundown so in preparation for the holiday I decided to experiment with my recipe for Honey-Vanilla Challah. The result? Apple-Honey Challah, spiced with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg. The modifications to my original recipe weren’t extreme but they were enough to make this loaf particularly suited for Rosh Hashanah, which is a two day Jewish holiday that marks the creation of the world. Often described as the “Jewish New Year,” the literal translation of the Hebrew is “head of the year” – but there are some similarities between the American conception of a “New Year” and the Jewish one. Just as many Americans use the New Year as a time to make “new year’s resolutions” in order to plan for a better life, likewise Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect upon the mistakes we’ve made during the past year and to think about ways to improve our lives in the future. Yom Kippur comes after Rosh Hashanah, and the ten days in between are known as the “Days of Awe” (Yamim Noraim). It is believed the during these days the fate of everyone is determined for the coming year.
Food plays an important role in Rosh Hashanah, acting as a symbolic representation of our hopes for the new year. For instance, during a ritual called “tashlikh,” which means “casting off,” many Jews put pieces of bread in their pockets and walk to a river or other natural source of flowing water. They toss the bits of bread into the water, thereby ‘casting off’ their sins. Another popular tradition involves eating apples and honey, which represent our desire for a ‘sweet new year.’ I couldn’t resist combining this latter custom with my favorite hobby: baking bread. Apples? Honey? Bread? Yes please. Can you blame a gal for neglecting her Hebrew homework in pursuit of such a scrumptious creation?
Challah is usually baked into braids made with three, four or six strands of dough, the resulting spiral symbolizing the ascent to heaven. But on Rosh Hashanah challah is shaped into round loaves of bread whose circular form represents the continuity of life. Other festival shapes include crowns (symbolizing God’s place as ruler of the universe), ladders (recalling Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:10), keys (symbolizing the gates of heaven) and on Yom Kippur, a bird shape (symbolizing the forgiveness of sins and that one’s prayers soar to heaven.) (Source) Below I’ve included instructions for making round loaves of challah, woven loaves and the traditional braid. I was tempted to write out directions for other shapes, but then I saw how long the instructions were getting and stopped myself. Enough already Ari! I can get a little carried away sometimes. 
In the days leading up to and during Rosh Hashanah it’s customary to say to people, “Shana Tova Umetukah,” which means “May you have a good and sweet New Year.” So if you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, shana tova umetukah, and if you’re not celebrating the holiday I hope you’re inspired to bake a loaf of apple-honey challah anyways. This bread slices exceptionally well and is perfect for making french toast, bread pudding, or simply enjoying on its own. As you can see from the first photo in this post, I added a dollop of fruit butter to mine. Blueberry peach butter, apple butter, pumpkin butter… its all good. And when paired with a giant cup of steaming coffee? Perfection. I’ll definitely be making another loaf of this challah on Wednesday morning for Rosh Hashanah dinner.
Other Baking and Books recipes for Rosh Hashanah:
Apple-Honey Challah (My Recipe)
Ingredients: Makes 1 Loaf
- 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too)
- 2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
- 3/4 tablespoon dark wildflower honey
- 1/2 cup diced organic dry apples
In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey – residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the apples, which should be added in handfuls. Switch to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time – just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.
Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Braiding: There are several ways to braid your dough, using anywhere from 3 to 6 strands (or more!). It’s traditional for Rosh Hashanah loaves to be round, but challah is delicious regardless of shape so go with whatever shape feels right to you.
- Three strand braided challah. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching. Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center – left over, right over, left over – until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly – you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under.Once you have braided your dough in this fashion you can bake it as is, or twist the braid around itself, pinwheel fashion, thereby achieving the round challah look. Tuck the tail end of the braid underneath the coil and gently pinch the dough together to seal it closed. Another 3 braid option is to place the braided dough in a 9 x 12 inch loaf pan so that your bread has a rectangular bottom and a braided top.
- Woven round challah, which is what I did to the bread pictured in this post. To achieve this look divide your dough into 4 equal portions, then roll each out into smooth, thick strips about 15 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Arrange these ropes into a tic-tac-toe shape, with one pair of ropes perpendicular to the second pair. (You should have two ropes of dough running directly away from you, and two ropes running parallel to you.) Instead of just laying the top ropes on the bottom ones, weave them under/over: with the ropes running parallel to you, take the rope farthest away from you and weave it under the leftmost vertical rope, then over the rightmost vertical rope; take the parallel rope closest to you and weave it over the leftmost vertical rope, then under the rightmost vertical rope. Push the ropes together so that there isn’t any open space in the middle of your beginning weave.Now take the bottom of the rightmost vertical rope (probably the one directly in front of your right hand) and weave it over the rope next to it on the right (counter clockwise). Take the rope that was just woven over, and weave it over the rope next to it. Continue until you reach the first rope, then reverse the process and weave the ropes left, in a clockwise fashion. If you have enough dough, weave the ropes one more time right, counter clockwise. By this time you should have short stumps of dough sticking out – one by one, pull them clockwise and gently pinch them against the larger mass of already woven dough. Finally, using both hands, gently grab your woven dough and slowly flip it over. You’ve just created a woven challah. Yay!Helpful link: There is a useful tutorial on how to weave a round challah here.
- You can also bypass the entire braiding process by cutting your dough into four or five large chunks and stacking them side-by-side in a large loaf or bundt pan. This simple method also produces a beautiful loaf of bread!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. If you are using a loaf pan, likewise loosely cover your dough with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.
Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. If you are using a loaf pan you can test your bread by covering the pan with a clean kitchen towel then, while wearing oven mitts, flipping the pan over so that the bread falls into the towel. Thump the bottom. If it does not sound hollow place the pan back on the bread, flip it over, and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.
When your bread is done transfer it to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing – or at least wait until it’s warm, not hot – then enjoy!
A woven round challah
47 Responses to “Apple Honey Challah”
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challah looks very delicious!
Ah, I wondered what you’d do Ari.
Lovely.
Not sure what I’ll do yet…time is ticking though…
Hi Ari,
First and foremost, to you and your hubby, Shana Tova Umetukah.
I’m fascinated with your challah…what a wonderful idea to incorporate holiday ingredients to your original challah recipe. Photos are wonderful!
I would love to have a slice right now….
That’s a lovely lookin challah. I only started eating challah last fall when I moved to a neighborhood with a great Jewish bakery. I’ve never had any flavored or spiced challah, I’ll have to try your take on it!
I have to admit that my favorite thing to do with challah is to make French toast the next morning. That was always the tradition in my family.
I wonder if this recipe could be adapted to work with fresh apples? I made the mistake of visiting the orchard this weekend, and am now desperately searching for ways to pare down the supply (pardon the pun.) I’ll experiment a little and let you know.
But now you’ve gone and made me hungry. Grrrh.
Wow, Ari you are so brave, I have never tried making bread. This one you made is a splendid perfection.
Happy Holiday
This must be fate. I was just looking for recipes using dried apples…I somehow ended up with a ton of them!
I am so jealous. I am not starting my cooking for the holiday until tuesday. i should feel guilty!
I’ve never tasted challah. *cries*
Round Challah looks wonderful. I want to bake this!:))
that looks amazing. I love Challah plain, but the variations you give sound simply devine!!!!!
A wonderful challah! I’ll have to test that special version…
Happy Rosh Hashanah!!!
Ah, how the holidays just sneak up on us, shana tovah! I love that this uses dried apples, which have such an intense fall flavor, and the pictures are stunning!
Ariela, your challah looks unbelievable. It was nice to find out a bit about Rosh Hashanah and challah. Have a great celebration!
Beautiful! Just beautiful! Thanks for the other recipes, too.
Shana Tova Umetukah!
Paz
I’m thinking I might try this recipe out on October 16th, since it’s international bread baking day. I love Challah, but have never had one that wasn’t plain, so this looks scrumptious.
I think Challah is such a beautiful bread, but it scares me, as do all yeasty things. I’m going to clip this to try it, however, when I’m feeling brave! Great post, as always.
But I don’t mind you getting carried away, Ari. I found this most interesting and useful and it helps me to understand what the holidays are about and what the signify, so thank you very very much,
What wonderful challah! They do make great french toast. And that blueberry peach butter sounds simply exquisite!
Have a wonderful Rosh Hashanah! Just so you know, apple cake with honey frosting is always a great idea too, cause cake is a source of joy in life… =)
What a fantastic recipe! I just baked honey whole wheat challot with golden raisins — I wish that I’d seen your recipe first! I will give it a try for Sukkot, definitely!! Shana tova!
Do you know if I can freeze the dough at any point? Or what if i made the dough tonight and then only baked it in the moring? Would that work?
happy Rosh Hashanah! and thanks for the challah lesson… I guess I never noticed the long braided verses the round woven varieties, but now that you mention it, I have seen happy round loafs at the corner baker this week!
Dina – Yes, you can make the dough tonight and then put it in the fridge overnight. Take it out in the morning and allow the dough to return to room temperature before it’s first rising of 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Then braid it, let it rise a second time, etc, as indicated in the recipe.
Thank you so much for the great suggestion of making a challah with apricot and chocolate. I learned to weave the challah and it looks beautiful. I also made a topping which came from Marcus Samuelson on Starbucks ‘website. The topping had cocoa, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and decorator sugar. It looks and tastes great!
Kat – Thank you, it is! (Er, was… we already ate this loaf, lol.)
Lucy – I couldn’t help combining the flavors of apple and honey with a fresh loaf of bread. If I hadn’t made challah I would have made an apple-honey strudel….mmm. That would be good huh? Or apple honey dumplings! Oh see what you’ve done, now I’m brainstorming…
Ruth L – Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
Kelly – Definitely give it a go. Challah is an easy, fun kind of bread to make and is especially delicious with spices, bits of fruit or even chocolate added in.
What other kinds of treats does your Jewish bakery make? Do you have a favorite?
Lydia – Challah makes amazing french toast. Back in the days before I knew how to bake challah french toast was one of my favorite things to order at this Jewish dinner we often visited in Katonah. Now, well… it’s hard to beat homemade challah french toast!
Travis – You could certainly make this challah with fresh apples! Only use granny smith or some other tart apple though. If you use eating apples they’ll add a saccharine sweetness to the bread that won’t taste too good. My advice would be to peel and dice about 2 – 3 apples, cook them up in a little sugar over the stove top, then add those to your batter. Keep in mind that the extra liquid & sweetness will have to be compensated for, so adjust your honey/sugar and flour amounts accordingly. If you experiment with fresh apples let me know how it turns out, I haven’t tried it and would love to hear about your experience!
Monika – No? You should try it Monika! It’s addictive though, so begin your bread baking adventure at your own risk.
Peabody – Awesome! Glad that fate brought us and our dried apple stashes together.
Savvy Savorer – Well, this was my ‘test loaf’ so I was just making it to see how the modifications to my recipe turned out. The loaf you see in this post has long since been eaten now… I’m making another one this afternoon for Rosh Hashanah dinner tonight! So see, no need to feel guilty. (Not that you should have even if I was already doing my RH prep over the weekend.)
Tarie – Why not? Make some girl! You have a kitchen, recipe… what’s holding you back?
Asha – I hope you do! I’m glad you liked my photo.
Stacey – Thanks! Plain challah is a fav of mine too, but sometimes I just can’t help mixing things up a bit.
Rosa – Thank you and happy rosh hashanah to you too!
Mercedes – Shana tovah! I love baking with dried fruit, it’s such a simple, yet delectable way to add extra flavor and texture to baked goods.
Cordelia – Thank you! And glad you enjoyed the info about Rosh Hashanah. I wasn’t sure if I should include it but am glad I did.
Paz – Shana tova umetukah! So happy you enjoyed this post.
Hilda – That would be awesome if you used my recipe for International Bread Baking Day. I’m hoping to participate in the event too… but the question is, what should I bake?
Shana tovah umetukah! Hope you have a happy and healthy New Year!
The challah looks gorgeous! I’m putting it on my to-do list.
that is spectacular!
What beautiful, beautiful pictures….so inspiring for all of us nonbakers! As much as I love challah right out of the oven, I think I love making French toast with it the next day even more. Nothing compares.
Enjoy your holiday celebration!
Your challah sounds so delicious…I want a bite (or two!)
Ari,
It’s just beautiful! I can smell the warm aroma from here!
Your honey vanilla challah was already on my list of keepers, but now I have to try this one too!
I miss all of the wonderful Jewish bakeries that sold challah bread in RI. Now in SoCal, it’s much more difficult to find. I have never considered making it at home, but you’ve inspired me with your lovely photos and recipe. Thanks, Ari!
Challah is something I have long been wanting to try baking…I didn’t grow up with this bread but when I tasted it (as an adult already…can you imagine!) I loved it…the taste, the texture, even how it looks! And apple-honey? Whoa! I’m there!
Thanks for sharing a luscious sounding recipe!
Abby – I understand where you’re coming from, yeasted breads scared me for a long time too. But the only way to get over it is to try your hand at making breads with yeast right? And of course, you’re welcome to email or IM me if you have any questions.
Cynthia – Ha, thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and will try to get more carried away next time!
Veron – The blueberry peach butter comes from a recent find at Silverman’s Farm in CT. I love that place!
Garrett – Thank you! Apple cake with honey frosting is scrumptious too, but I decided to use my dessert option on apple donuts. Mmm…. But you’re right. Cake is a great source of joy in life.
Katie – Your challot sound wonderful Katie! I hope you had a fantastic Rosh Hashanah.
Connie – Yup, there are all sorts of challah shapes, each with a specific meaning behind it. Whoduv thunk it?
Deb – Hope you had a wonderful Rosh Hashanah Deb!!
Christianne – Thanks.
Janice – I’m so glad you enjoyed this post! I hope you decide to take the plunge and make challah sometime, or any other bread that strikes your fancy. There is nothing like the smell of warm, rising bread in the oven filling your home. Trust me. It’s better than French Toast.
Anita – I wish I could give you a huge slice!
I love the woven bread…it’s so pretty, I can see myself tearing the rounds off and eat the whole thing.
Ivonne – Thanks! The aroma was lovely indeed.
Mallow – I hope you do, but be forewarned… you may just become addicted to baking it. I’ve made 3 more loaves since I posted this entry!
Susan – I grew up in SoCal and you know, come to think of it, there aren’t many Jewish bakeries. Hmm. But the beauty of baking in your own home is that you can work around that, and assure delicious, quality results every time. I hope you give this recipe a try and share some of your challah with your deprived SoCal neighbors!
Joey – My pleasure, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I didn’t try challah until I was older either… not until my junior year of college in fact! But better late than never right?
Rasa Malaysia – Ah, I can see you’re a gal after my own heart. We slice this bread when we plan to do something fancy with it (like french toast, or my taking photos) but in the wee hours of the morning? We tear off rounds and munch away.
I made this the other day using your regular honey/vanilla recipe. No dried apples at my house. The link to the step-by-step directions was fabulous! I did end up baking my challah for about 48 minutes instead of 35. I use my Thermapen to make sure that the bread is at least 190 degrees.
It was wonderful bread. This is my new go-to recipe. Thank you!
I hope it’s okay for someone who isn’t Jewish to wish you and your family, shana tova umetukah! =)
Your challah looks amazingly good.. I love apples in bread. And I’ve never had challah yet! Only because the place that sells them – they are commercially made and I doubt very good. I need to find a good bakery in the city and get myself some!
A very lovely post (as always) Ari, I learned a lot.. thank you =)
xoxo
I’ve never tried challah either, waaaah!
Wishing you and hubby all the best.
KJxx
What a beautiful challah! I hope you had a very sweet and wonderful Rosh Hashanah. And happy birthday to your husband! We are both Virgos! ; )
I’ve been far too intimidated to try my hand at baking challah up until this point, but this looks too good to not give a shot!
Great pictures!