• Am I the only person who has been through an insane amount of flour already, this holiday season?

    Oh wait, whats that?

    The holidays didn’t even start yet? Oh I didn’t realize. Because when every holiday starts on a Sunday, the day after shabbos, you need to start cooking a month in advance. So, in my house, it’s been erev Rosh Hashana for the past two weeks. And first on my to do list, challah.

    Why start with challah?

    I can’t cook all my meat and side dishes fresh on Sunday if my ovens are being occupied by challah
    For a holiday with 4 meals, I need at least 8 challahs, which is more than one batch of dough
    If I have to make the challah in advance anyway (see above reasons), I might as well do it when my kids are in school, and my kitchen hasn’t yet turned into a disaster zone.
    Of all the freezer-friendly foods out there, challah is at the top of the list. If you do it right, no one will ever know (unless you start a blog, then everyone will know).
    Because you can use your dough to make other things besides make challah! Thats right, its a multi-purpose dough!
    So, what better way to bring in the season of apples and honey than with the best apple loaf ever!

    It wasn’t easy coming up with a way to keep the apples from making the dough soggy. After trying a few different techniques, I came up with this method of removing the apples from the juices they release.

    But wait, oh no!

    There was a deep golden, caramel color, liquid on the bottom of the pot that was just going to go to waste. Obviously, I could NOT let that happen. Thats when it hit me, CARAMEL.

    THE BEST BOURBON CARAMEL APPLE EVER.

    It was the prefect solution. It added and extra dimension of flavor, and it kept the apples from soggifying the bread.

    Then like all good cakes/loafs, it needed a glaze. What else do you pair apples with this time of year besides honey? So, that was an obvious but delicious choice.

    This loaf is so good and looks so beautiful. I really hope you all get to make it this very long and hectic holiday season. But if not, its really good all year long!

    Enjoy and happy cooking

    Peas Out,

    Danielle

     

  • For the loaf

    1. 8 green apples, peeled, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
    2. 1 lime, halved
    3. 1 Tbsp olive oil
    4. 1 tsp salt
    5. 3/4 c brown sugar, divided into 1/4 c, 1/4 c and 1/4 c
    6. 1/4 c bourbon
    7. 1/4 non dairy creamer
    8. 2 pounds challah dough
    9. 1 egg, beaten
    10. 1 tsp white sugar

    For the glaze

    1. 1 c confectioners sugar
    2. 2 Tbsp honey
    3. 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp non dairy creamer
    4. 1/8 tsp salt

    For the loaf

    1. Peel apples and place into a large bowl of cold water mixed with the juice of 1 lime
    2. Once all the apples are peeled, place a dutch oven (or large pot) on medium heat.
    3. Add olive oil, drained apple slices salt and 1/4 c of brown sugar.
    4. Cook for 4-5 minutes until apples have softened and released a lot of there juices.
    5. Using a slotted spoon, remove apples and place into a large bowl, leaving as much of the juices behind in the pot as possible.
    6. Add another 1/4 c brown sugar to the pot and stir for 5 minutes until sugar begins to boil.
    7. Raise the heat to high, and carefully, pour in bourbon.
    8. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of your spoon.
    9. Lower heat and add creamer.
    10. Mix for 2 minutes until mixture boils, and then pour the bourbon caramel over the apples.
    11. Mix well so that all the apples are coated in the caramel.
    12. Set aside and allow apple mixture to cool completely.
    13. Preheat oven to 350f (180c)
    14. Once apples have cooled, grease a loaf pan.
    15. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar over the bottom of the pan.
    16. Roll out dough to make a large rectangle.
    17. Cut squares that are the same size in width as the loaf pan.
    18. To form loaf, take two squares and place them upright against the end of the pan.
    19. add 5-6 slices of apples up against the dough.
    20. Repeat this process until you have filled the entire pan.
    21. Cover with saran wrap and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
    22. Light brush the to with egg and sprinkle white sugar.
    23. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden and apples are crisp.
    24. Cool on a wire rack.

    For the glaze

    1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl.
    2. Mix well.
    3. Once cake has cooled, drizzle over the top.

    Notes

    1. This seems like a lot steps, but if your making challah dough anyways, its actually pretty simple. Also, if you don’t have bourbon or don’t want to use it, you can replace it with apple cider.
    2. Enjoy!

    *If you plan on freezing

    1. Grease loaf pan and then place a piece of parchment paper inside making sure that enough paper hangs over so that you can easily lift the cake out of the pan.
    2. After baking, allow apple loaf cool for 1-2 hours. Remove from loaf pan and set on a wire rack to continue cooling completely.
    3. once cooled, wrap the excess parchment around the loaf, cover with foil and freeze.

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