Cinnamon Apple Stuffed Challah
A tasty sweet apple challah perfect for Rosh Hashanah!
Ingredients
- 1 envelope active dry yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1¼ cup warm water 100 degrees
- 3 1/2-4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 2 large eggs plus and extra yolk for the egg wash
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon for the dough and 1 tsp cinnamon for the apples
- ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar for the dough and 1 tsp sugar for the apples
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 apples washed, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces (I used Golden Delicious)
Instructions
- Whisk yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with warm water (110 degrees) into a slurry. Let it sit for 10 minutes until puffy.
- Mix in two eggs, oil, vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar into the yeast until all mixed.
- Then add the flour a little at a time (you may not need all the flour) and salt and mix with your hands into a shaggy ball.
- Knead dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and slightly sticky; add more flour if it is sticky.
- Put the dough in a clean and warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it ferment in a warm place for 2-3 hours until puffy and double in size.
- Peel and chop up your apples into 1/2 inch sized pieces and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and sugar.
- Once dough is ready, divide into three sections and roll each one out into a flat piece on parchment paper. Sprinkle some apples at one end and roll up the long way making sure to avoid air bubbles.
- Repeat with other dough balls.
- Braid up the strands starting in the middle and put your challah on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. You can do a round braid too!
- Cover with plastic wrap and ferment another 45 minutes or so until it's light and fuffy looking (exact proofing timing for challah will depend on environmental conditions.)
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Whisk the last egg yolk with 1/2 tablespoon water and brush generaously over the challah and bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve with honey!
Notes
Prep time includes rising time.
To make ahead, refrigerate the dough overnight for the first rise. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature slightly, shape and proof for the second rise and bake!
Or you can freeze baked challah. Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp and warm in a low oven to bring it back to life.
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