Oat Honey Apple Challah Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine 3/8c warm water with yeast. Let stand until yeast is dissolved and begins to bubble - about 5 minutes.
• Place the yeast mixture in a larger bowl. Add the additional water, oats, honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
• Gradually add the flours. Mix with a spoon until it becomes too unweildy. At that point - knead with your hands until all the flour is absorbed and the dough is no longer sticky.
• Place in a large, oiled (or cooking spray coated) bowl and place in a warm, moist, draft-free place to rise. Let rise until doubled - appx 1 hour.
• When the rise is almost over, prepare apple filling. Then put the apple filling on some paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Preheat the oven to 350.
• There are many different ways to prepare a holiday challah -- here's my personal favorite: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/560778/jewish/Weaving-Round-Challah.htm Or you can make a round coil. The number of rolls of dough you'll need to make will vary based on the shape you make.
• If you are using the link above, you will need four dough strands. If you are making a single coiled challah, you will need one dough strand. Do NOT make the strands long -- for the round from the link, each strand should be no more than twelve inches long. Once you have the correct number of strands, you'll need to flatten them with your hand or a rolling pin. Put the apple filling down the middle, and then pinch or roll the strand closed. It's OK if a few apple pieces pop out, but for the most part, you want them enclosed.
• Brush with egg wash and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. The sugar will give it a nice, sparkly outer crust with a nice rich flavor.
• Place on stoneware cookie sheet, or regular cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, open up the oven & place a sheet of tin foil over the loaf to prevent excessive browning. Let bake for appx another 20-30 minutes (so 50-60 minutes TOTAL bake time).
• Cool on a cooling rack & ENJOY!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch-square baking dish and place in the oven until the butter melts. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the oven and use a brush to coat the bottom and sides evenly with the melted butter. Set aside.
• While the oven is preheating and the butter melting, heat the remaining butter in a heavy skillet, add the apples and sauté over high heat until they just begin to soften and take on color, about five minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Mix the milk, honey and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add the challah pieces and allow to soak about 10 minutes, until the milk is fairly well absorbed. Beat the eggs until frothy, mix them with the challah and add half the cinnamon and the sautéed apples.
• Transfer the mixture to baking dish. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the sugar and sprinkle over the top. Bake about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water. Separate two eggs; refrigerate two egg whites. Place remaining egg yolks and eggs in a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup honey, oil, salt, yeast mixture, 3 cups flour and remaining warm water; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Pour boiling water over raisins in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Knead in raisins. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Divide one portion into six pieces. Roll each into a 16-in. rope. Place ropes parallel on a greased baking sheet; pinch ropes together at the top. , To braid, take the rope on the right and carry it over the two ropes beside it, then slip it under the middle rope and carry it over the last two ropes. Lay the rope down parallel to the other ropes; it is now on the far left side. Repeat these steps until you reach the end. As the braid moves to the left, you can pick up the loaf and re-center it on your work surface as needed. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. For a fuller loaf, using your hands, push the ends of the loaf closer together. Repeat process with remaining dough. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg whites and honey with water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup warm water with yeast. Let stand until yeast is dissolved and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
• Place the yeast mixture in your mixer (if you have one large enough for this recipe), or in a large bowl. Add the additional water, oats, honey, oil and salt. Mix well to combine.
• Gradually add in the flours, mixing/kneading well, until a soft dough is formed. Knead another 5 minutes, adding small quantities of flour, until the dough feels like an ear lobe.
• Place in a large, oiled bowl, turning dough to coat, and cover with a damp towel. Plase in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
• Punch down the dough, divide into 6 pieces (or more ifyou are making rolls) and shape into loaves or braid or do whatever you do with your challah dough.
• Place on greased pans (I prefer using parchment paper, ungreased), and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with seeds or extra oats.
• Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes for loaves, or 20+ minutes for rolls.