Apple Cinnamon Rosh Hashanah Challah
September 1, 2020

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September is already here (time is flying by!) and Rosh Hashanah is almost here. It has been an unusual year and I am sure everyone is just waiting for a fresh start and for the great energy that a New Year brings. On this holiday, everything is sweet to symbolize a sweet new year ahead and I have the best impressive and delicious sweet challah filled with apple and cinnamon for your Rosh Hashanah table.

There are a lot of recipes for apple and honey for the holiday. This challah especially has honey only in the bowl that is baked with it. The reason I made it this way is that I have a baby that can't have honey yet so I kept it separate for this dish so she can enjoy the sweet challah too.



I filled the bowl in the middle of the challah with honey but you can fill it with another sweet dip if you prefer or just with pomegranate seeds. Anything you place in the bowl will make the challah fancier and it also saves space on the table that is full of great foods.



For Rosh Hashanah, we usually have a round challah that symbolize a crown or the cyclicality of the years. One year ends and a new one starts right away and the circle continues and continues like a round wheel.

There are 2 known ways to shape the challah as a round shape. Either with 4 strands and no hole in the center or the way I shaped this challah - simply braid 3 strands challah and close it to a circle. To preserve the hole, I used the small bowl that as I mentioned before is later filled with honey. The outcome is a festive crown round challah with delicious honey to dip in it. The bonus is the apple and cinnamon filling that adds more flavor and can be a tasty surprise to your family and guests.

The challah is fluffy, sweet, and yummy. The flavors of the challah fit the fall that starts soon too with the apple and warming cinnamon.

Other challah recipes on my blog:
Classic challah
Whole wheat challah
Sweet potato challah
Vegan challah

The recipe yields 1 challah

For more apple recipes, check out my apple recipe index.

More delicious Rosh Hashanah recipes featured on my blog:
Honey Cake
Nondairy Apple Tart
Apple Bars
Parve Apple and Honey Cake
Honey Buns
Simanim Salad
Beet Cake
Apple and Honey Cookies
Beet Carpaccio
Ricotta and Honey Tart
Silan Date Syrup Cake
Apple Oat Cake
Compote


Let's get started baking this impressive apple cinnamon challah:

Ingredients:
For the dough:

• 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract/paste
• 1 cup lukewarm water (+2 more tablespoons if the dough is too dry)
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the apple filling:

• 1 apple peeled and cut to small cubes
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

For garnish:

• 1 beaten egg
• Handful sesame seeds
• Handful poppy seeds
• Handful pumpkin seeds

Preparation:

1. In a stand mixer bowl, place all dough ingredients. Make sure the salt and yeast do not touch directly to avoid the yeast not working.
2. Knead the dough on low speed for 4-5 minutes.
3. Grease the bowl and let the dough rise for 2 hours.
4. In a small bowl, mix filling ingredients.
5. Divide the dough to 3.
6. Roll each part to a rectangle shape.
7. Place 1/3 of the filling in the middle of the rectangle.
8. Close the dough with the filling, make sure to pinch it so the filling won't run out.
9. Heat the oven to 170°C / 350°F with the fan.
10. Braid the 3 strands and shape it as a crown/ circle.
11. Place a small bowl that is safe to use in the oven in the center of the braided challah (this will be filled with honey later).
12. Brush the challah with the beaten egg.
13. Sprinkle the seeds for garnish.
14. Bake for 30 minutes.
15. Let the challah cool completely.
16. Fill the small bowl with honey.

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