Rosh Hashanah Apple and Honeycomb Challah

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast and teaspoon of honey in the water and, once bubbles start to appear, add a third of the flour, followed by the two eggs, the rest of the honey, the salt and the oil.

2. Combine by hand, adding flour little by little, until a ball of dough forms which doesn’t stick to your hands.

3. Knead for 5-10 minutes before placing in a lightly oiled bowl covered with cling film to rise for about an hour and a half or until doubled in size.

4. Roll the honey dough out long and flat on a floured surface using a rolling pin and then cut 6 long strips of dough (approx. 5cm wide) and 3 long strips (approx. 1 cm wide) using a sharp knife.

5. Place small pieces of apple down the middle of each of the 6 strips of wider dough, drizzle with honey and fold the strip together up and around the apple.

6. Braid these up, three strips at a time to make 2 three strand braids, and place one long, apple and honey filled braid in a circle on a lined baking tray around the larger bowl and the other around the smaller bowl.

7. Braid the three narrower strips in a three strand braid and then wrap the braid under and over each of the circles of dough as a decoration.

8. Egg wash the challahs and bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees.

9. Once cooled, break the honeycomb apart carefully and arrange chunks on top of the challahs so that the honey oozes from the comb and tops the challah with sweetness.