This Honey Apple Challah is a great bread recipe that should be enjoyed all year long. With chunks of apple, and lots of honey, this rich and beautifully braided bread is as fun to make as it is to eat!

Let’s Holla for some Challah, Whoop Whoop!
Sorry, I had to. I tried not to, but it came out anyway.
This Apple Challah Bread Recipe is a lovely bread loaf! If you have never made a challah before, you need to give it a try. This dough is great to work with, and its so fun to braid it into a gorgeous braid.


I was very excited to finally try my hand at making challah! I loved it, it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. The last time I did sourdough and a four- stranded braid. This time I decided to do regular dough, the rounded version, and stuff it!

How do you braid a round challah?
-
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces.
- Roll and stretch each piece into a rope about 12 inches long, like you would making “worms” with play dough. Tuck any apple pieces that fall out back in with your finger.
- Arrange two ropes perpendicular to each other, so they form a + sign.
- Weave them so that one side is over and the other is under where they cross the other strand.
- Take the four strands that come under and cross them over the strand to their right.
- Take the four strands that come over and cross them under the strand to their left.
- Or whatever, just cross them over and under until you get a round-shape. Haha.
- Tuck any corners or odd bumps under the dough to form a circle.
- Transfer the dough to a parchment covered baking sheet or stone.


There’s nothing I love more than seeing you make my recipes! If you make this Honey and Apple Challah, don’t forget to leave a comment below and rate the recipe!
And if you are on Instagram, tag @thegingeredwhisk and use the hashtag #gingeredwhisk on social media when you make my recipes so that I can share them and maybe even feature you. Follow along to get the latest updates:
And don’t forget to subscribe to the email list to get all the extra tips, tricks and bonuses!
Want to save this for later? PIN THIS TO YOUR BREAD BOARD on Pinterest!
Honey and Apple Challah Recipe

This Apple and Honey Challah is a perfect lovely loaf.
Ingredients
Bread:
- 2 1/4 tsp (a standard 1/4 ounce package) active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup + 1 tsp honey
- 1/3 cup neutral oil, plus more for the bowl
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 1/4 cup flour
Filling:
- 2 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- a dash of cinnamon
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, 1 tsp honey and 2/3 cup warm water.
- Let stand for a few minutes until foamy.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, whisk together the yeast mixture, oil, remaining 1/3 cup honey, eggs, and yolk.
- Switch to the dough hook and add in the flour and salt (just go ahead and dump it in) and mix on a moderate speed until the dough starts to pull together and form a craggy mass.
- Lower the speed and knead the dough for 5 minutes, until smooth, elastic and a little sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a large oil-coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and gently press it into an oblong shape (the shape here doesn't matter as long as you get it mostly flat and even).
- Spread 2/3 of the apple mixture over 1/2 of the dough.
- Fold the other half of the dough over the apples and seal the edges.
- Press the dough down, and re-flatten the dough.
- Spread the remaining 1/3 of the apples over half of the dough, and fold the other half over the apples.
- At this point your dough should vaguely resemble a square-ish shape - tuck the corners under with your hands so it forms a rounded shape.
- Turn the bowl you used before upside down and put it on top of your dough - let it sit for 30 minutes.
To Shape the Dough:
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces.
- Roll and stretch each piece into a rope about 12 inches long (tuck any apple pieces that fall out back in with your finger).
- Arrange two ropes in each direction, so they form a + sign.
- Weave them so that one side is over and the other is under where they cross the other strand.
- Take the four strands that come under and cross them over the strand to their right.
- Take the four strands that come over and cross them under the strand to their left.
- Or whatever, just cross them over and under until you get a round-shape. Haha.
- Tuck any corners or odd bumps under the dough to form a circle.
- Transfer the dough to a parchment covered baking sheet or stone.
- Beat an egg until smooth and brush over the challah (don't get rid of the excess egg, you will be using it again!)
- Let your bread rise for 1 hour.
To Bake:
- Preheat your oven to 375 F.
- Brush your challah with the egg wash one more time.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes - if the loaf starts to get too brown you can cover it with tin foil.
- Cool on a wire rack before slicing. If you can. I couldn't. 🙂
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 258Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 311mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
recipe from (Smitten Kitchen)
cynthesizingfood
Saturday 23rd of June 2012
You made it! Your challah looks wonderful with the big chunks of apple. I had that problem too of the apple bits sticking out too much and with the baking as well. Mine got pretty brown on top. Great idea about making french toast with this challah. I'm sure it'd be delicious!
checy16
Saturday 23rd of June 2012
You made it! Your challah looks beautiful with big chunks of apples! Making french toast with this challah sounds delicious!
Ruth H.
Wednesday 30th of May 2012
I kinda like the aple pieces poking out... Call it rustic and people will think it is by design! I am sorry the dough wasn't as fun to work with as you had hoped, but I am so glad the end result was to awesome!! Thanks for baking with me this month! :)
rcakewalk
Tuesday 29th of May 2012
I see a lot of Bakers did filled breads with the Challah! I had no problem with the risings or the dough using Peter Reinhart's recipe - but his has far less sweetener. (I always wonder if honey affects yeast, especially in sourdough but even with commercial yeasts, just because of its antiseptic powers. There is probably nothing to it, but I still always wonder...)
Lisa
Tuesday 29th of May 2012
Yum...apple honey challah reminfds me of Rosh Hashana celebrations as a kid with loads of relatives - so much fun! You turned out a beautiful challah, Jenni..the sliced apples on top look so pretty!