Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 bag of Pereg Best for Challah Flour
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 3 Granny Smith apples, diced into 1/8 to 1/4” cubes (about 5 cups)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 Tbsp Pereg Ground Cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp Honey, divided
- 1 egg (optional, for shiny crust)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the whole bag of Pereg Challah Mix and 2 ¼ cups water. Mix by hand or on medium speed for 7-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic (if still sticky need to knead longer.) Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Punch down dough and knead again for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl and let rise for 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and allow to rise for another 15 minutes.
- Dice the 3 granny smith apples into 1/8” to ¼” cubes and toss in lemon juice, 3 Tbsp of honey, and 4 Tbsp of cinnamon, set aside.
- Start with 1 of the prepared balls of dough, keeping the remaining balls covered with a damp towel. Roll the ball into a long rope, on a lightly greased surface flatten into a 26 x 4” rectangle. Fill center of rectangle with 1 to 1 ½ cup of apple mixture then wrap sides up to enclose the apple filling in the center, pinching the edges as you go. (Don’t worry if the dough rips a little, just press the apple filling back inside and pinch dough together.) Carefully set the filled roll aside.
- Repeat process to fill the remaining 3 balls of dough with apple mixture, trying to keep them all the same length. Once you have all 4 strands of challah filled with apple filling take 2 and align the seams together and twist them into a spiral forming a beehive-like round loaf. Repeat the process to form the second loaf. Carefully place the challahs on parchment lined baking sheets. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a small bowl whisk 1 egg with 1 Tbsp of water and brush over the challah loaves.
- Bake on middle rack for 35-45 minutes, or until the challah has a nice golden-brown crust.
- In a small bowl whisk remaining 1 Tbsp honey with 1 Tbsp warm water and brush over the challah fresh from the oven.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before enjoying.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish
