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apple, autumn, baked, challah, food, food blog, food blogger, holiday, holidays, jewish, jewish recipe, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, vegetarian
As should be expected, any holiday, get-together, or even the smallest event is a reason for me to cook something extravagant. It could be Thursday night with a bottle of wine and my best friend and that’s a good enough reason for me, so clearly Rosh Hashana had to have something special. I had recently given in to my Smitten Kitchen addiction (I really spend far too much time clicking the “Surprise Me!” link and reading recipes on her website) and fell in love with her recent recipe for Olive Oil, Sea Salt & Fig Challah. Of course I aspired to make it for Rosh Hashana, I even stood in Sprouts for maybe 30 minutes contemplating the difference between seriously four kinds of figs- why do they have four different kinds of dried figs?!
Amidst my rushing about to recreate the latest SK masterpiece, I also had an idea of my own. I didn’t know if I liked figs (now I know- I do), so I wanted to make another Challah that I knew I would like, and I wanted to incorporate apples. But how?
For days I pondered… Then, it dawned on me: Apple Butter. The perfect solution!
Let me tell you about my love for apple butter. But soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and apple butter is the sun.. but for real, apple butter is delicious. And ridiculously easy to make. So much so that I am already planning my next batch, and you really have no excuse to not bust out your crock pot at this very moment.
So, with this revelation, I made three challahs for Rosh Hashana. Yes, three! My love for homemade challah runs deep. I made Smitten Kitchen’s Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Fig Challah; Plain Challah with sesame seeds (for the discriminating tastes in the house); and the glorious Apple Butter Challah with Cinnamon Sugar. Oh, it was majestic.
I first learned how to make challah from my Rabbi’s wife in college. Chaya taught me so many things about life, love, and Jewish cooking and for all these things I will be forever grateful. Her carrot kugel cannot be matched (I have tried countless times). Her baked chicken is always perfect and juicy and amazing. And her challah is to die for! So, lucky you, that’s the recipe I used! Coupled with my apple butter, it was a combination that I will not soon forget. Enjoy!
Homemade Apple Butter
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
12 Apples (normal sized ones that seem slightly heavy)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2/3 cup Water
Directions
Peel and core each apple. Roughly cut the apples into 1/2″ cubes and place in a large bowl. To the apples, add brown sugar and spices. Mix well to coat the apples. Add apples to your crock pot with 2/3 cup water. Set on low for 15 hours (this is best done overnight). Stir occasionally.

Apples, after about 12 hours
After 15 hours, blend until smooth with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can blend it in batches using a regular blender. Prop the lid of the crock pot open with a wooden spoon and let simmer for 2-3 more hours until the mixture has thickened. During this time be sure to stir occasionally. Then, shut off the crock pot and let it sit (with the lid still propped open). When it has cooled enough to be manageable, transfer the apple butter into canning jars or glass tupperware. It can be frozen as well.
Chaya’s Challah
Makes two Challahs
2 packages dry yeast
2 cups water, between 110-116 degrees F
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
6.5-7 cups all purpose flour
Dissolve a tsp of the sugar 1 cup of water. Add yeast and let the yeast foam for 5-10 minutes.
Combine the yeast mixture with the remaining water, half of the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt. Once combined, add the egg and oil. Then work in the remaining flour until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5-10 minutes until it becomes elastic and has “acquired a life of its own.” It should spring back when pressed with a fingertip. Try to add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil into a bowl and roll the dough around to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour.
Section dough in half. With each half, evenly cut enough pieces for whichever braid you choose. With each piece, roll the dough out flat. Spread a layer of apple butter over the dough, avoiding the edges (fig filling shown in the images).
Roll the dough back into a log (like a cinnamon roll). Repeat this until you have enough apple butter-filled pieces of dough for your braid.
Proceed to braid the challah in whichever style you prefer. Place on a greased baking dish and brush with an egg wash. Allow to rise 1 additional hour.
45 minutes through the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the challah with a second egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. When the oven is heated, bake for 30-45 minutes on a middle rack, until the interior temperature reaches195 degrees. If the top begins to brown to quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of foil.

Smitten Kitchen recipe for a Gorgeous Fig-filled Challah
Shana tova!
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i wish i could find the right words to describe you and your talents!
Thank you so much!
WOW! Beautiful and I’m sure delicious
Wish i was there to sample all of your woderful creations.
I am so proud of you, truly you could have your own cooking show!
Lots of Love!
Thank you! So glad you could try some of them during Thanksgiving 🙂
Hi, you may not remember me but I am a friend of your Aunt Julie. I have to say, I love your blog!! My daughter writes a blog about food as well and I am going to forward this to her. I know she will love it as well. By the way, I plan on making your apple butter:)
Marian
Hi Marian! Of course I remember you! Thank you so much for sending her the link, I would love to see hers as well. I hope you enjoy the apple butter! We are finding lots of uses for it 🙂 great to hear from you!
I’m with you on the whole apple butter kick. It’s probably the one reason that I prefer fall to spring. Definitely going to give this a shot (I haven’t made bread in 10 years, but what the hey, let’s get dangerous!) and use the leftovers for apple butter french toast…
Hi Bill! I hope you enjoy the recipe, I found it to be pretty easy!
what happens to the 2nd cup of water in your challah recipe?
Hi Matan, I’m so sorry! You add the water in during the second step when you combine the yeast with the flour. I updated the recipe above.
the apples are abundant on our tree this year – had to look up to see what pumpkin pie spice is, but will be trying your apple butter recipe tomorrow! thank you!
Oh I’m sorry about that, were you able to find a recipe to make the spice mix at home? If not, you can try this:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
I hope you love the apple butter! It is so easy and delicious; definitely a really special treat for fall!
oh goodness! no apology needed! i was just pointing out my lack of acumen in the culinary world, but THANK YOU for this mix of ingredients. I really kicked myself years ago when my grandmother died because she made the best apple butter, but, alas, i never asked her for her recipe. 😦
Aww darn, maybe with a little testing you can make one close to hers!
Do you process your apple bitter in the canning jars? Would love to try this whole recipe. It looks gorgeous.
I actually don’t processes them in canning jars, it usually doesn’t last long enough for that to be necessary 😉 but you certainly can do that if you want to/know how!
About how much does the apple butter recipe make? Can’s or jars?
Hi Tina, it depends on a few things (the type of apples, how long you cook it) – the longer you cook it, the less it will yield. For the whole amount of cooking time, I normally get two 8-oz jars at least, sometimes 3 and a little extra.
How much does the recipe for the apple butter make? Jars?
Hi there! It depends on the type of apples & how long you cook it for. For the full time that I stated in this recipe, it usually yields two 8-oz jars, sometimes 3 plus a little extra 🙂
If I don’t have a crock pot, how can I make the apple butter with a normal pot?
Hi Julia, I would imagine you should be able to cook it on the stovetop over very low heat, although I would advise you to check on it more often because I think it could be more likely to burn that way. If it starts to get dry, you can add a bit more water or even some apple cider. Let me know how it turns out!
If I don’t have a crock pot, how can I make the apple butter with a regular pot?
Looks so wonderful, want to make asap. Happy New Year to you and your family. Marcia