L’Shanah Tova! Happy Jewish New Year!

Every year the Jewish holidays land on different days because they go by the lunar calendar which always screws me up. In honor of Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year, I am posting an extra special recipe this week for the holiday. In order to insure we have a sweet new year,  we eat apples dipped in honey along with other sweet foods.  Thanks to Martha Stewart, I am addicted to the apple and honey challah bread and I know you all will be to.

Ingredients:

4 ounces (1 stick) of unsalted butter; also have some extra for the bowl, pan and plastic

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour; you will need extra for your countertop

3/4 cup warm water (100 degrees)

2/3 cup honey

2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 tart green apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 3/4 cups)

DIRECTIONS

1. Butter a large bowl, and melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; let cool. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, the flour, water, 1/3 cup honey, the eggs and yolks, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer dough to buttered bowl, and brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cover with plastic. Let rise in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into an 8 1/2-by-14-inch rectangle. Top with apples; knead to incorporate. Return to bowl. Brush with remaining tablespoon melted butter; cover. Let rise again in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 hour more.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Roll dough into a rope (about 24 inches) on a floured surface. Coil into a circle, and transfer to pan. Butter plastic wrap, and cover dough. Let rise again until dough almost doubles in volume, about 45 minutes more.
5. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts. Brush dough with half the honey-butter. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 35 minutes.
6. Brush challah with the remaining honey-butter. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn out loaf from pan, and let cool.

If you aren’t interested in cooking for the holiday and want a sweet treat you should head over to treat house and get some of these adorable rice crispy treats. Treat House

Images taken from marthastewart.com and treathouse.com