Cinnamon Swirl-Roasted Apple-Dried Date Challah

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of warm water

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast (one packet) (I usually end up using about 2.5 though)

• 1 large egg

• 3 large egg yolks

• 1 cup honey

• 2 tablespoons canola oil/neutral oil

• 2 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 teaspoon salt

• 5-7 cups bread flour

• 2 medium apples used for baking (i.e. granny, jazz, etc)

• Cinnamon/apple pie spice

• Brown sugar

• White or clear sugar cookie crystals

NOTE: I am lucky enough to have two ovens so I was able to make the apples in the other oven when the dough was rising. If you don’t have two ovens, make sure you make the apples well in advance to let your oven cool. You don’t have to let it rise in a preheated oven if you don’t want to-- if your kitchen is warm, that will probably work just fine.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peel apples and dice into small pieces (about ¼ in x ¼ in)

3. As you cut the apples, put them in a bowl of water with a dash of salt or lemon to prevent browning.

4. Take them out and pat them as dry as possible and put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with apple pie spice if you have it, or cinnamon.

5. Put apples in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until most of the moisture is removed. Turn off oven.

6. Preheat second oven to 200 degrees. Make sure to notice as soon as it is ready and then turn it off and let it cool while you prepare the dough.

7. Mix ¼ cup of very warm water (about 110 degrees) with 1 teaspoon sugar. Add in yeast and let proof for 10 minutes

8. Mix 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water, egg, egg yolks, honey, oil, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer

9. Add in yeast (once its proofed).

10. Add flour in small amounts at a time until a sticky dough consistency is formed

11. Spread some flour out on the table and knead for about 8 minutes

12. Spread some oil in a large bowl and flip the dough so it covers the dough.

13. At this point, the oven should be warm, not hot! Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, not a paper towel because it will stick. Let rise in the oven for one hour.

14. After it rises, punch out the air from the dough and knead in the bowl for 1-2 minutes.

15. Let rise in the oven for another hour and 15-30 minutes

16. While the dough is rising, take some dried dates and chop them into small pieces (about the same size as the apple)

17. Put the dates and apples into a bowl, sprinkle some apple pie spice/cinnamon and brown sugar (just a little because we add more in later)

18. Once the dough has risen a second time, take it out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350.

19. The dough is enough for 1 large challah or 2 small-medium size ones. Knead the dough for a few minutes and slowly knead in apple and date mixture (by hand). Sprinkle cinnamon/apple pie spice and brown sugar whenever you add the apples and dates. Make sure not to add all the mixture in at one time because you want the apples and dates to be evenly spread throughout the dough. Knead until the mixture is well dispersed.

20. Braid into challah. Be careful rolling the sections, the mixture might rip the dough (if it does, reform strand.) The strands will likely be a bit clumpy-- that’s okay, just be gentle braiding.

21. Let rise for about 45-60 minutes.

22. Spread some egg wash on the dough (egg and a dash of water)-- save the remainder to reapply later.* Bake for ~35 minutes for 2 challahs, ~45 minutes for 1 challah. It should be golden brown and pretty firm to the touch.

23. *Halfway through, take challah out and reapply egg wash. Sprinkle the hard sugar crystals and extra apple pie spice on top. *optional*

24. Let cool for 10 minutes.

25. Enjoy.