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.