Harvest Apple Challah

By commercecook

This challah recipe comes from King Arthur Flour. Instead of braided, it is prepared like monkey bread. The website offers pictures of each step. I've also made a braided challah without apples using this same recipe.
Allow to rise an extra hour in the bread machine.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 6 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1/4 cup honey (I used Dutch Gold pure golden honey)
• 2 large eggs
• 4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• Apple Filling
• 2 medium to large apples, not peeled; cored and diced in 3/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Glaze
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Details

Servings 16
Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. To make the dough: Combine all the dough ingredients and put in a bread machine. Set for dough cycle. Allow the dough to rise in the machine for an extra hour after the dough cycle is complete.

2. Lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan that's at least 2 inches deep. Or, grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.
(I used a 10 inch round cake pan.)

3. Toss the apple chunks with the sugar and cinnamon.

4. Gently deflate the dough, transfer it to a lightly greased work surface and flatten it into a rough rectangle, about 8 by 10 inches.

5. Spread half the apples in the center of the dough.

6. Fold a short edge of the dough over the apples to cover them, patting firmly to seal the apples and spread the dough a bit.

7. Spread the remaining apples atop the folded over dough.

8. Cover the apples with the other side of the dough, again, patting firmly. Basically, you've folded the dough like a letter, enclosing the apples inside.

9. Take a bench knife, knife, or scissors and cut the apple filled dough into 16 pieces by cutting in half lengthwise and then each half in halves, etc. This is very messy as dough is slippery, apples will fall out and sugar syrup will ooze. Don't worry, and don't stress about having all the pieces the same size.

10. Lay the dough chunks into the pan; crowd them so that they all fit in a single layer (barely). Lots of apple chunks will fall out; just tuck them in among the dough pieces or spread them on top.

11. Cover the challah gently with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about an hour, until it's a generous 2 inches high.(I put my oven on warm, turned in off and let it rise in there.) Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

12. Whisk together the egg and water. Brush the dough with the egg mixture.

13. Place the bread in the lower third of the oven. Bake it for about 55 minutes or until the top is at least light brown all over. (Mine took closer to 70 minutes. I covered my lightly with foil near the end to avoid getting the top too dark. The internal temperature was 205 degrees. The sides had started to separate from the pan.)

14. Remove from the oven and, after 5 minutes, loosen the edges and carefully transfer it to a rack.