I was planning on making the apple challah from Maggie Glezer’s A Blessing of Bread, but before I had a chance, I spotted this recipe in the LA Times from a Los Angeles kosher take-out store called “Got Kosher?”
The recipes are extremely similar, except that (1) the Glezer recipe results in 50% more dough and makes two loaves, while the Got Kosher recipe makes one loaf; (2) the Glezer recipe calls for topping the loaf with sugar and baking it in a loaf pan or an 8″ round pan, while The Got Kosher loaf is shaped as a turban, is topped with sesame seeds, and is baked free form; (3) the Got Kosher recipe calls for honey as well as white sugar and has slightly less water (to compensate for the extra liquid from the honey?).
I loved Glezer’s recipe, it is amazing, but I thought I would give a honey version a shot for Rosh HaShana.
The picture in the LA Times is a tad deceptive. I had a very hard time keeping the apples from spilling out of the dough. I think you need to use less apples to get the perfect looking challah that is depicted next to the recipe. Or, maybe, it was how they did the photo, angling it just so.
I am sending this lovely loaf over to YeastSpotting.
Update: Arghh! This loaf did not leak apple juices (I guess the egg glaze helped keep them inside) like the Glezer loaf did, but, when I cut into the loaf the next day, the bread around the apple pieces was soggy. I think that this bread needs to be consumed ASAP after baking. Also, I think that the recipe might be better if the apples were precooked and somewhat dried out before being added to the dough. I am going to turn the leftover bread into bread pudding or stuffing.
Tags: apple and honey challah, challah, Got Kosher?, LA Times, Rosh Hashana
Pragmatic Attic 
September 18, 2009 at 10:39 am |
love the first photo, would love to hear the comparison if you try the other recipe.
September 18, 2009 at 2:18 pm |
Well, apples spilling out or not, it looks freaking amazing. Drool worthy!
September 19, 2009 at 12:39 am |
[…] Apple and Honey Challah […]
September 19, 2009 at 10:53 pm |
Honey with the apples sounds delicious! It is indeed a lovely loaf.
September 21, 2009 at 12:36 am |
Thanks for the nice comments! I really had high hopes for this loaf, although it ended up being somewhat soggy inside (see update).
September 25, 2009 at 3:16 am |
Love your delicious-looking apple honey challah. You should submit it to the bread contest on my site. The winner gets a $179 Super Bread bread knife from New West Knifeworks. You can get more info here:
http://www.phamfatale.com/id_516/title_Pham-Fatale-Bread-Contest/
Let me know if you’re interested. All I need is a photo of your bread (for voting) and the link to your recipe.
October 9, 2009 at 11:45 pm |
I love challah but never had any apple challah before. Yes, just perfect for Rosh Hashana.
February 22, 2011 at 4:12 pm |
[…] my variation) Lithuania Challah (Maggie Glezer) ABin5 Challah (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day) Apple Honey Challah (Got Kosher, LA Times) 100 Minute Challah Chernowitzer Challah (Maggie Glezer) Poor Man’s […]