Pereg’s Apple Honey Challah Recipe

During the fall and holiday season I do a lot of baking. I enjoy making homemade cookies, pies, cakes, fruit crisps, fruit breads, muffins, etc. Not only do I enjoy baking, but I really enjoy trying out new recipes like the Apple Honey Challah Bread. The recipe is courtesy of Pereg Natural Foods.

Before we get started, here’s a few personal tips that I leaned while making the recipe.

* It will take you a couple of hours from start to finish. Allow enough time in your schedule.
* I found that spraying my hands and dough board with non-stick baking spray kept the dough from sticking. I also sprayed my baking sheets.
* The recipe calls for 1 egg to do the egg wash on the dough (optional). I personally found that I needed 2 medium-sized eggs to get the coverage that I wanted.

Pereg’s Apple Honey Challah Recipe

1 bag of Pereg’s Best for Challah Flour
2 1/4 cups water
natural cooking oil or non-stick baking spray
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced into 1/4″ cubes
1 lemon, juiced
4 Tbsp. Pereg Ground Cinnamon
4 Tbsp. honey, divided
1 egg (optional, for shiny crust)

In a large bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the whole bag of Pereg Challah Mix and 2 1/4 cups water. Mix by hand or on medium speed for 7-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. 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 dough into 4 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for another 15 minutes.  Dice the Granny Smith apples into 1/4″ cubes and toss in lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. of honey, and 4 Tbsp. of ground cinnamon, set aside.

Start with 1 of the prepared balls of dough, keeping the remaining balls covered. On a lightly greased surface roll the ball into a long rope then flatten into a 26″ by 4″ rectangle. Fill center of rectangle with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the apple mixture then wrap sides up to enclose the apple filling in the center, pinching the edges as you go. Carefully set the filled rope onto your lightly greased baking sheet.

Repeat the process until you get the 3 remaining dough balls rolled out and filled with the apple mixture. 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.

NOTE: I have a broken arm and hand, so I wasn’t able to roll out and do the twisted beehive shape that the recipe called for. Instead I rolled it out into smaller rectangles, filled with the apple filling, pinched the sides together and then just twisted 2 of them together like what’s shown in my photograph.

They recommend placing them on parchmant lined baking sheets. I opted to just spray mine with non-stick baking spray which worked perfectly. Once on the baking sheets let rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl whisk together the 1 egg with 1 Tbsp. water and brush over the Challah loaves. Bake on middle rack for 35-45 minutes, or until the Challahs have a nice golden-brown crust.

Using a small bowl you want to whisk together the remaining 1 Tbsp. honey with 2 tsp. warm water and brush over the Challah fresh from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

NOTE: Their recipe doesn’t say anything about how to store it. I opted to store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I personally enjoy it slightly reheated in my microwave while hubby enjoys it straight from the refrigerator (cold).

Thank you Pereg Natural Foods for the baking supplies and sharing the recipe with me.

Disclaimer: Shelly received a complimentary product as featured in this blog post. Shelly’s thoughts and words are 100% her own unbiased opinion on the company & products being featured today. The Two Classy Chics are not responsible for prize shipment or fulfillment. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the blog’s full disclosure policy.