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hand holding a cut challah roll with uncut challah rolls in the background

Challah Rolls with Apple Currant Filling

Beth Lee
Challah rolls filled with apples and currants are perfect for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur BUT why limit yourself? These little gems are perfect individual servings for breakfast, lunch and dinner all year round.
4.84 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 27 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 37 minutes
Course Baking and Desserts
Cuisine Jewish Holiday Cooking
Servings 8 rolls
Calories 337 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 large eggs one for the dough, one for the egg wash
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 3.5 - 4 cups AP flour plus more for dusting
  • ½ tablespoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons sugar divided (4 for dough, 2 for filling)
  • Scant 1 cup chopped apple sprinkled with some lemon juice
  • ¼ cup currants or raisins
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Put the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a
    dough hook, and pour in warm water. Whisk it (by hand) so the yeast dissolves. Let this stand for a couple of minutes to be sure you see some bubbles or action in the yeast mixture so you know your yeast is alive and well. Then whisk in (by hand) the 1 egg and the oil. If using instant yeast, you can mix it all at once.
  • Add 3.5 cups of the flour, the salt, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, and beat with the dough hook for a few minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. In my heavy-duty mixer, it takes only a minute or two for the dough to come together. But don’t go by time, go by look and feel. Is it smooth and elastic? Does it feel wet and sticky? If so, add a bit more flour.
  • Remove the dough from the mixer bowl, form into a round and poke a 1-inch hole all the way through the center. Let the dough rest covered loosely on a floured surface or parchment paper for up to 30 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting, make the apple cinnamon raisin
    mixture by combining the chopped apples, currants or raisins and cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
  • Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 8
    equal pieces, around 100 grams each or just eyeball it. (Short on time? Make one large loaf with a simple 3 strand braid and in this case, just divide it into 3 pieces at this point.)
  • Flatten each ball into a 6” long oval. Put about a heaping
    tablespoon of the apple cinnamon nut mixture down the center. Close the dough up around the filling and roll it out with your hands to about a 9” rope. Loosely coil this rope and connect the end to the dough so it doesn’t flap open. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and repeat this procedure with the other 7 dough balls.
  • Cover the small round challahs loosely and let them rise for
    about 30 minutes in a warm location. You know dough is ready to bake if you poke it with your finger and it slowly springs back. While they are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Brush the eight challahs all over with egg wash.
  • Bake for 5 minutes at 375 degrees then reduce heat to 350
    and let them cook for about 22 minutes longer.

Video

Notes

  • The stuffing is a nice touch for a sweet Rosh Hashanah challah. But if you prefer plain bread, skip the stuffing.
  • You can also change the stuffing to something more savory or use a different dried fruit. Experiment and have fun with these mini challahs!
  • If you don’t stuff them, you can finish them with seeds on top either randomly sprinkled or in little dots (see photo below).
  • If you don’t want or need individual rolls, feel free to braid this as one loaf. You probably will need to bake it 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 337kcal
Keyword bread, challah, Jewish holiday cooking, Rosh Hashanah, Yom kippur
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