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5 stars (7 reviews)
1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Posted by Sommer Collier on Nov 20, 2020
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Amazing Apple Bread, AKA Challah Bread Recipe – This moist, sweet, and yeasty bread is our favorite seasonal bread recipe with tender chunks of apple speckled throughout.
Challah Bread Recipe
Moist Yeasty Apple Challah Bread Recipe with tender spiced apple speckled throughout. A seasonal favorite I can never resist!
After moving to North Carolina we started visiting apple orchards every fall. The county just south of us actually has more apple orchards in it than any other county in the US, including Michigan and Washington.
At the orchard stores, I discovered apple bread. Not an apple bread that is heavy and dense like banana or pumpkin bread, but light yeasty apple bread with tender apple morsels suspended in its supple folds.
I contemplated this bread for some time before I decided to attempt to make my own version. What sort of dough could create such a unique and addictive bread? How could it be so light and still hold up the apple chunks?
After playing with several types of bread doughs, I decided on a challah recipe. By folding small spiced apple chunks into tender airy challah dough, the layers rise up into a pillowy loaf.
Drizzle apple cider glaze over the top of the Apple Challah Bread Recipe and you have a festive holiday bread perfect for any occasion!
How to Make This Apple Bread – Challah-Style!
For the Dough:
- All-Purpose Flour (Best to weigh out the flour to the right measurement)
- Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Lukewarm Water
- Honey
- Dry Active Yeast
- Vegetable Oil
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Orange Zest
For the Apple Filling:
- Large Peeled and Cored Apples
- Ground Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Dark Rum
For the Glaze:
- Apple Juice or Cider
- Powdered Sugar
Step by Step Instructions
- Mix the Ingredients – In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and cinnamon and put to the side. In your stand mixer bowl, mix together the warm water with honey and yeast and allow it to foam for 10 minutes. Then add in the flour mixture and the rest of the ingredients for the dough.
- Knead the Dough – Using the bread hook on the stand mixer, knead the dough until it becomes soft, smooth, and elastic. This should take 8 to 10 minutes.
- Let it Rest – Place the smooth dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it tightly. Let it rise until it doubles in size, which can take up to 2 hours.
- Prep the Dish – Lightly butter a 9 inch round or oval baking pan. A spring-loaded pan could work for this as well.
- Prep the Dough – Toss the apple slices in rum, cinnamon, and sugar. Then gently deflate the dough and transfer to a greased surface. Flatten it into a rectangle about 8 inches by 10 inches.
- Knead the dough – Spread half the dough to the center of the dough and then fold a side over to seal the apples in the dough and then spread the dough a little bit. Then add the rest of the apples on top and fold over the other half of the dough and seal the apples again.
- Cut the Dough – Cut the dough in halves until you have 16 pieces. (Yes, this will be very messy.) Lay the pieces in the pan in a single tight layer, adding in any loose apples in between pieces or simply on top.
- Let it Rise Again – Cover it loosely with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise for another 1 to 2 hours, until it’s about 3 inches in height. Preheat the oven towards the end of the rising.
- Bake the Bread – On the lowest shelf in the oven, bake for about 55 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes when you take it out before you place it on a rack to finish cooling.
- Drizzle the Topping – Whisk the cider and powdered sugar together and drizzle it over the top of the bread and allow it to fall down the sides.
See The (Printable) Recipe Card Below For How To Make Apple Bread, Challah-Style. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is special about Challah?
It is a Kosher bread loaf that is typically a pale yellow color due to the number of eggs in the dough. Challah is soft and fluffy with a slightly sweet flavor.
Why does it take so long to rise?
The dough needs two separate times to rise before baking. This creates an ultra-soft and decadent texture. The temperature in your kitchen can determine how long it takes for the dough to rise.
How long does this recipe stay fresh?
Keep this bread tightly wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or refrigerate for up to a week.
Other Great Bread Recipes
- Apple Beer Bread Recipe
- Crockpot Yeast Rolls Recipe with Apple Butter
- Best Simple Roti (Chapati Recipe)
- Award-Winning Oatmeal Banana Bread Recipe
- Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread Recipe
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5 stars (7 reviews)
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Apple Bread Recipe (Challah Style)
Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Amazing Apple Challah Bread Recipe - Moist, sweet, and yeasty! This bread is our favorite seasonal bread recipe with tender chunks of apple speckled throughout.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
For the Dough:
- 17 ounces all-purpose flour (about 4 cups, but it's best to weigh it)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water, lukewarm
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
- 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
For the Apple Filling:
- 2 large apples peeled, cored, and diced in 3/4-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
For the Glaze:
- 2-3 tablespoons apple juice or cider
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Mix the flour, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix the warm water with the honey and yeast. Allow it to foam for 10 minutes. Then add the flour mix and the rest of the ingredients for the dough into the yeast mixture. Using a bread hook, knead the dough on low in the mixer, until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough (about 8-10 minutes).
Put the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover tightly and let it rise for 2 hours or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in size.
Lightly butter a 9-inch round or oval bakingpan that's at least 2 inches deep (or use a greased 9-inch springform pan.)
Toss the apple chunks with the sugar, cinnamon and rum. Gently deflate the dough. Transfer it to a lightly greased work surface, and flatten it into a rough rectangle, about 8x10 inches.
Spread half the apple chunks in the center of the dough. Fold a short edge of the dough over the apple in order to cover it, patting firmly to seal the apples and spread the dough a bit.Spread the remaining apple atop the folded dough.Cover the apples with the other side of the dough, again patting firmly (Basically, you've folded the dough like a letter, enclosing the apples inside.)
Take a long knife and cut the apple-filled dough into 16 pieces. Cut it in half, then each half in halves, etc... This will be very, VERY messy. The dough is slippery, apples will fall out, sugar syrup will ooze. It's not pretty. Don't worry about making all the pieces the same size.
Lay the dough chunks into the pan. Crowd them so that they all fit in a single tight layer. Lots of apple chunks will fall out during this process; just tuck them in among the dough pieces, or simply spread them on top.
Cover the challah gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise for about 1-2 hours, until it's a generous 3 inches high (it should come above the rim of thepan). Twenty minutes before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the bread in the lower third of the oven. Bake it for 55 minutes, or until the top is at least golden brown all over and has no white spots.
Remove the challah from the oven, and after 5 minutes loosen the edges and carefully transfer it to a rack.
Cool completely. Then whisk together the cider and powdered sugar and brush or drizzle it over the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 327kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 304mg, Potassium: 94mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 55IU, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 2.1mg
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American, Israeli
Author: Sommer Collier
Making this recipe?Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
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55 comments on “Apple Bread (Challah Bread Recipe)”
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Gina — Reply
What a treat this bread is! So fluffy yet decadent. Can never pass up challah and the added apples in this recipe really make it outstanding!
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Marsha — Reply
This bread was absolutely delicious!! Will definitely be making it again soon.
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crystal s — Reply
Congrats! I would love to spend it on baby items for my sister who is expecting!
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This bread looks fantastic! I have a weakness for challah bread and you just made it even better!!!!!
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hi — Reply
beautiful
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Christopher Sorel — Reply
I would use it to by a new spring form pan to make this. Mine is rusty and horrible now after the years of use
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Bar Stools — Reply
Not only beautiful … i cooked one and it tastes amazing !!
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Tamanna — Reply
this apple bread which looks like a cake looks jaw dropping delicious. i can gulp 3 to 4 pieces in my mouth ! i am loving fruit in baking these days thanks for recipe!
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gringarl — Reply
Congratulation on the award, you deserve it.
The bread looks so good, I like the shape you gave to it. -
Hyosun Ro — Reply
Congrats on your well deserved blog award!! Your apple bread looks sooooo good!I am making it this weekend.
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lynne — Reply
The cake looks amazing! I would love to buy some new cake pans!
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Valerie — Reply
I love your apple bread! Too tempting! If I got a gift card, I'd definitely put it towards a stand mixer. :-)
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Susan @ The Spice Garden — Reply
Sommer, this apple cake looks a masterpiece! It is exciting when you perfect a recipe isn't it?
Congrats on the blog award, too ! This is wonderful news! As for the favored kitchen gadget … I'd put the certificate toward a stand mixer … my arm gets tired whipping batters and sauces and mixing doughs. -
acoupleinthekitchen — Reply
Love the idea of apple challah. That would make a mean french toast!!!
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Emily Z — Reply
Congrats on such a lovely honor! And I am with you… I bookmark soooooo many recipes but then they just pile up and pile up… which is why my theme for this week is cooking some of those bookmarked recipes in order to clear some of them out!
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meeyeehere — Reply
I would buy 2 new spring form pans!!!! Thanks for the chance and for making it easy!
Have a terrific week
jacksoncrisman@yahoo.com -
Suchitra — Reply
Congrats and the cake has been baked to perfection!
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5 Star Foodie — Reply
Congratulations on the award! and the apple bread looks definitely amazing!
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Dimah — Reply
So beautiful! It looks so amazingly good!!
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Cherine — Reply
Gorgeous cake!
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thelonelyradish.com — Reply
If that isn't face first bread, I don't know what is.
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Sanjeeta kk — Reply
Beautiful texture for this gorgeous apple bread!
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Heavenly Housewife — Reply
Great recipe, I have loads of apples this year from my trees in my back yard, and I'm always looking for cool recipes that i can use them up with. This looks fabulous.
*kisses* HH -
baking.serendipity — Reply
Congrats on the award! And this awesome bread. I'd eat an extra slice just to celebrate :) As for CSN…I hear they have yoga mats…not so food-y, but something I've been needing lately.
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Biren @ Roti n Rice — Reply
Congrats on being named the top blog in North Carolina! That's awesome! The bread looks awesome too :)
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sophia — Reply
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Oh wow, that makes EVERY minute and effort you spent on this blog worth it, doesn't it? And what best way to celebrate it than to bake some more! This apple cake is REALLY calling out to me. I must make it someday! I have it bookmarked! :-)
Hm…I would love the $35 to get a rolling pin and a springform pan!
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Megan — Reply
Congrats! That is great about your placing in the top 3!…No surprise here though, I love your blog! :) I love the apple bread…I might have to try this one sometime! And for the contest, I have been in dire need of a good knife sharpener.
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Eileen — Reply
Congrats on the recognition!!! As for the bread, it looks out of this world, and if I had $35 bucks towards something from CSN I'd buy an ice cream maker.
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Nive — Reply
Thanks for this giveaway…I might use the gift card for some kitchenware.
ramvinayak_81@rediffmail.com
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laura — Reply
Ah! This looks amazing, Sommer, and of course, you have completely earned your award – your blog is the best!!! I just made an apple cake today and was just thinking yesterday that I would love to incorporate apples into a yeast bread I could slice for breakfast – how perfect! As for CSN stores – I'd get a new muffin pan – I love my mini muffin pan but am in need of a great full size pan. ( :
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Evan @swEEts — Reply
First of all congratulations! I totally do the same thing with recipes from blogs.. I have over 40 in my inbox right now, about 100 in my foobuzz inbox and those are not including the ones I've already printed :) ha But if this recipe is as good as you say I may have to bump it up on the list!
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Amy — Reply
This bread looks amazing! I love that you put big chunks of apple and included rum! Great recipe :)!
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Susi — Reply
Congratulations on placing in the Top 3! What a wonderful accomplishment, that is certainly deserved :o)
Your apple bread looks simply divine! Love everything about it and that glaze just takes it over the top for me! -
Jenn Chiodo — Reply
sommer-we just picked about 40 lbs. of apples yesterday at our local apple orchard so this recipe came just in time. i'm making it this week! congrats on your food blog…it's enjoyable to read.
if i won the giveaway….i would spend it 20 different ways (in my head) before deciding to buy something for my new kitchen. something colorful and useful. :) -
claire — Reply
ohh! i would LOVE some new cookware for sure!
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claire — Reply
congratulations sommer! i cant think of a better blog! wohoo!
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Emily Malloy — Reply
CONGRATS! That's fantastic news, with wonderful recipes such as this, it's no wonder you should receive such honors!
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Chocolate Freckles — Reply
Looks really good!!! delicious!
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Jennifer — Reply
First off…Congrats on your award. You have a fantastic blog and I am glad you are getting recognized for your efforts.
The apple bread looks AMAZING. I just wish I had a mixer with bread hooks which leads me to the third thing…
If I won the gift certificate I would use it towards getting myself a new mixer. :)
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Tricia — Reply
Love your blog…love apples. A tart pan….
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Jenni — Reply
This looks amazing! I can't wait to make this bread.
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Carolyn — Reply
Congratulations on being named the best blog! That's wonderful recognition. That bread certainly looks amazing! I will have to save it for later (like you, I have about 18 billion recipes saved) but I will definitely keep it in mind!
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Evan Thomas — Reply
I love the addition of Rum in the filling; it sounds delicious.
I would use the money towards a good set of knives. I don't have enough of those.
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Anna — Reply
Oh Dear! Opsy!!! I forgot about the CSN Stores thingy. I'm sorry…I just woke up and didn't have any coffee. So my brain isn't working full potential. Lolz…..Let's see ….I would buy probably something to do with baking. I'm really into that lately. :-)
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Magic of Spice — Reply
Congratulations, that is so great and being the only food blog chosen, wow! Your bread looks perfect I do remember Rosa's too, and I can see why you chose it :)
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Anna — Reply
Hi Sommer, first congrats (jumpy clapping) on being Best of Western North Carolina, you so deserve to be there. Second I hope I'm in the middle of your list of friends or friends to be. (because I really think you are BFF potential). You rock girl. I didn't know "Rosa yummy yum" blog…will check it for sure. And for the apple bread I can see why you had to make it. It looks amazing. Must taste delicious. Have a great week.
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Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having — Reply
I've been meaning to make apple bread too! I went apple picking a few weeks ago and near the orchard there was a booth selling bread exactly like what you described. I can't wait to try this to see how it compares. Thanks!
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Claudia — Reply
I do love Rosa's blog and that cake-like apple bread is warming my spirit. Congrats on the blog accolade – that is all so much fun!
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BigFatBaker — Reply
Congrats on the blog award!! I know what you mean about the infinite amount of recipes…everyday I seem to find to find 5-15 more that I feel I MUST try. If only there were more hours in the day…
This apple bread looks fabulous. I can't say I have ever had a light and yeasty apple bread like this, but I can imagine it is amazing.
As for the giveaway…I would love to invest some money into a stand mixer or pan of some sort..I'm sure my kitchen is lacking something! -
bleejones — Reply
congrats, friend – you ROCK! def trying that recipe … we have a gazillion apples right now to use up from the orchard. and i wanna' win your giveaway! i'd spend it on a large pot to make curry in (just like yours!).
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njw — Reply
CONGRATULATIONS Sommer on making it to the top three in the Mountain Xpress!!! Such a HUGE accomplishment! I am so proud of you!!!!
As for the giveaway, I would absolutely spend it on baby items. As all Asheville Moms know, this town is lacking in great baby stuff! And I would do just about anything to never have to set foot in a babies r' us ever again! How can a store selling baby stuff be so miserable!?
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My Kitchen in the Rockies — Reply
Sommer, Congratulations on placing 2nd! That is very exciting.
The apple bread looks very tasty. -
suburban prep — Reply
I think that I might put this towards a set of sheets for my bedroom.
msgb245 at gmail dot com -
Kristen — Reply
That is beautiful apple bread! I wish I actually had the time to bake every single delightful apple recipe out there. This one is definitely one that must be tried!!
