Sweet Apple Raisin Challah Bread
This Sweet Apple Raisin Challah Bread is a wonderful comforting bread! It has a classic combo of apples and cinnamon, with a pairing of raisins to add more flavor. This bread would be perfect for any celebration, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter!
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with dough attachment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Large mixing bowl
- 9-inch cake pan
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup & 2 Tbsp Warm water 100 degrees F.
- 6 Tbsps Coconut oil melted and cooled slightly
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Tbsp Raw honey
- 2 Tbsp Turbinado sugar plus 1 tsp for sprinkling
- 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground cloves
- 4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
- 4 tsp Active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup raisins or craisins
- 1 Medium Apple peeled and diced into small cubes
Topping:
- 1 Tbsp Turbinado sugar
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl combine the warm water, 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, and dry active yeast. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should be bubbling at this point.
- Add the remaining honey, sugar, salt, eggs, cinnamon, cloves and coconut oil. Whisk the ingredients to combine.
- Add in the flour slowly and mix lightly with a spatula or by hand to roughly combine.
- With a dough attachment, knead the dough for 8 minutes, then add in the diced apple and raisins and knead for an additional 2 minutes. The dough should not be too wet and easy to work with.
- Grease a large mixing bowl with non-stick baking spray or coconut oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Let it proof in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
- Pat and roll the dough into a 36" rope, tapering one end. Poke any raisins or apple bits sticking out of the dough back underneath the dough's surface; this will help prevent them from burning in the oven.
- Sprinkle 1 tsp of turbinado sugar onto the dough and lightly press it in.
- Grease a 9" round cake pan.
- Starting with the tapered end, coil the rope loosely into the cake pan, starting at the center and working outwards.
- Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it proof for 1 hour.
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Lightly spray the risen loaf with water, and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.
- Put the challah on the middle shelf of the oven, and bake it for 20 minutes. Tent the challah with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven, carefully turn it out of the pan, and place it on a wire rack to cool.
- Wait until the bread is completely cool before slicing.
Notes
- Proof the dough in a warm draft-free area. I usually proof my bread in the oven, without the heat on because it isn't drafty and it is naturally warm.
- Kneading the dough with a stand mixer will take about 8 minutes. The dough should form a ball and be easy enough to handle. Kneading it by hand will take closer to 12 minutes.
- After the final proof, makes sure the raisins are tucked into the bread. If they are exposed to the heat too long, they will likely burn in the oven.
- Tent the challah with aluminum foil at 20 minutes into baking. It will prevent the outside from burning while the inside continues to bake.
- Keep your challah wrapped in foil or plastic wrap on the counter or in a bread box to keep it fresh for up to 3-4 days.
