Challah, pronounced hallah, is a delicious sweet loaf of braided bread that is considered a staple in many Jewish homes as it is eaten on Shabbat and during holidays. I remember taking my first bite of Challah as a child and fell in love with the sweet soft bread- it was unlike any other bread because of its egg, yeast, and sugar mixture. Homemade challah is in my opinion the best, so please don’t buy store bought challah. For Rosh Hashanah I decided to make a round challah that epitomized the sweetness of the year to come. It is important to state that the recipe that I used for the traditional challah is adapted from the recipes my daughters received at the Jewish Community Center, from the Chabad of El Paso, and several of my Jewish friends.
I developed a round challah to symbolize the cycle of life and to resemble the crown of God. When I looked at the traditional recipe that many Jewish people are familiar with I thought how I could make this special for the New Year. I looked at the staples of food that are important and symbolic in Jewish traditions and picked three ingredients to add to this beautifully braided bread, I decided to add apples, dates, and honey. Before eating this gorgeous challah it is customary to recite a blessing and with the addition of apple, honey, and dates a blessing might include asking for a sweet year and to have enemies or the wicked cease. Challah is not to be cut with a knife but pulled apart in pieces with your hands so, please share this yummy sweet braided bread with your loved ones.
L’shanah Tovah y Buen Provecho!
Apple, Date, Honey Challah
Printable Version
Yield: Serves 6 Total Time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
– 1 Packet of Dry Yeast
– 1/3 Cup of Sugar
– 2 Teaspoons of Salt
– 1 & 1/3 Cup of Warm Water
– 2 Organic Eggs
– 1/3 Cup Oil
– 4 Cups of All Purpose Flour
– 10-13 Pitted Dates
– 2 Red Apples
– 1/2 Cup of Local/Organic Honey
Equipment Needed:
– Spoon
– 2 Glass bowls
– Baking Pan
– Parchment Paper
– Cutting Board
– Knife
– Pastry Brush
Prep:
– Rinse 2 red apples and get the cutting board and knife and dice the apple into small
squares
– Get your 10-13 pitted dates and dice into small squares
– Get your glass bowl and pour ½ a cup of local/organic honey into the bowl
– Get your diced apples and pour into the bowl with honey and mix
Directions:
– Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
– Get a glass bowl and open your packet of dry yeast and pour the yeast into the bowl
– Add 1 &1/3 cup of warm water and 2 teaspoons of sugar into the yeast bowl and wait
for it to dissolve and foam, this can take anywhere from 2-4 minutes
– Then once the yeast has foamed add 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/3 cup of oil, 1 organic
egg, 1/3 cup of sugar and mix, I mix this with my hands but you can use a mixer
– Slowly add the 4 cups of flour and use your hands to knead the mixture
– Tear a piece of parchment paper to fit your baking sheet and set it on your baking
sheet
– Get your dough and place on top of the parchment paper and let the dough rise for
about 40-45 minutes
– After the dough has risen, knead the dough and separate into 4 sections and form
each section into a thick line, ensure that each section is thick enough to place
filling
– Grab your honey mixture of apples and grab your diced dates and fill each dough
section with an equal amount of apple, honey, and dates and form it in a line
– Once each section is filled, then grab the edge of the dough and roll it over the
filling, ensuring that none of the filling is coming out, repeat this process for each
section
– After all sections are filled and rolled, then get 2 sections aligned vertically and 2
sections aligned horizontally, you will cross a horizontal section over and under the
vertical section from the right side and then get the other horizontal section and pull
it under and over the vertical sections from the left side
– After all 4 sections look like a lattice with sections over and under each other then
you will pull a section from the bottom up to the right, you will repeat this process
going up and around and until you complete a circle
– Then you will get one egg in a bowl and whisk to be used as an egg wash,
a splash of cold water could be added to the egg wash
– Grab a pastry brush and dip into the egg wash and paint your challah with the egg
wash, ensuring that all sections of the challah have a nice even coat
– Put your baking sheet with parchment paper and Challah in the oven and bake for
30 minutes or until golden
*****Adapted from Chabad El Paso Challah Recipe*****