RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Challah, Apple - pareve, dairy
This is from the current column by Zillah Bahar in the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California. If I give into the temptation to make this, I'll use the option of a round pan, in keeping with the tradition of round challah for Rosh Hashanah. Ruth "Riffling through my log of recipes, I hit upon something sure to satisfy both the sweet tooth of just about any 4-year-old as well as the alimentary requirements of Mom and Dad. "It's a challah. But this one stands out for its apple filling spiced with cinnamon. Consider it a seasonal treat that's also perfect for the celebratory meals of Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot." APPLE CHALLAH Makes 1 large or 2 medium loaves, 20 slices BREAD: 1 cup warm water (110 F) 1 tsp. sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar 4 tsp. dry yeast [40 grams of fresh; or 4 Tablespoons of Shimrit*] 2 eggs, room temperature 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla 2-1/2 tsp. salt, preferably kosher[ing] 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 cup oil (or melted, unsalted butter) 5 to 6 cups, approximately, bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour EGG WASH: 1 egg 1 egg yolk [see Note #1] APPLE FILLING: 3 cups coarsely chopped apples, peeled or not (2 to 3 large apples) 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon TOPPING: 2 to 3 Tbs. sugar for sprinkling In a large mixing bowl, stir together the warm water, the teaspoon of sugar and the yeast. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes to expand yeast. Briskly stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, the eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and oil (or melted butter). Add in most of the flour to form a soft dough. Knead eight to 10 minutes to make a smooth dough, adding more flour as needed (the end result will still be slightly sticky). Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a slightly damp tea towel and let rest until doubled, about one hour. Prepare egg wash by whisking together the whole egg and egg yolk. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-by-5-inch loaf pan generously with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use a 12-cup tube pan (a bundt pan may also be used) or two 8-1/2-by-4-1/2-inch pans. Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Try Golden Delicious or McIntosh [see Note #2]. Place in a medium-sized bowl and toss with sugar and cinnamon. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Roll or pat out into a large round (about 10 inches across). Press in half of the apples. Fold the dough over to cover apples and press to seal. Flatten dough slightly and press in remaining apples, folding dough over apples, and pressing in any apples that may pop out (just put them back or stick them on top of the dough later). Don't worry if apples and sugar start oozing out -- it works out in the end. Let dough rest 5 minutes on the work surface. Using a sharp knife, cut into 16 chunks. Lay the chunks of apple-filled dough in prepared pan, lining bottom first, then gently laying remaining pieces on top. Top with any escaped apple pieces. Dab on egg wash as thoroughly and generously as possible (since dough is not a smooth surface, you have to drizzle and dab on the glaze, rather than paint it on). Sprinkle with sugar. Cover loaf pan lightly with damp tea towel. Let rise until doubled or until loaf is almost flush with the top of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on weather and dough's inclinations. Bake 42 to 45 minutes in the large loaf pan or tube pan, 35 to 40 for the smaller loaf pan. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a rack. Leftovers make terrific French toast. Zillah Bahar, Jewish Bulletin of Northern California ~~~~~~~ *Shimrit is granulated fresh yeast available in Israel. Through some tortured calculations which I wouldn't be able to repeat, let alone explain, if my life depended on it, I concluded that the equivalent of dry yeast would be 40 grams of fresh yeast. I measured out the contents of the Shimrit packet by tablespoons and found that 50 grams = 5 Tablespoons. Note #1: I think this amount is excessive. One whole egg should be more than enough. Note #2: I used Jonathan apples, which have a slight tartness to them. I think using Delicious would make the product entirely too sweet. What's more, since I prefer more tartness, I plan to use Granny Smiths the next time. [We don't have McIntosh in Israel, to my regret.] Though the dough is sticky, as noted, I quickly abandoned the dough hooks. It was easy enough to knead, and I used less than the six cups of flour (about 5-1/2). I did the first rise in a covered Tupperware bowl. Since it was a warm day, the second rise took only an hour. I'm extremely happy with the results. It's true (if not an understatement) that the apples and sugar ooze out, especially when cutting the dough into pieces, but it does all come right in the end. Because of the cutting into lumps, the final effect, after baking, is like braiding. I used two pans: a 26-cm/10-1/2 in. springform pan with a tube insert and a loaf pan. I've decided to eat the smaller one from the loaf pan this Shabbat and to freeze the round one for Rosh Hashanah. I very much recommend making this recipe. It yields a beautiful product. Ruth
