Apples and honey buns

We're channeling all the sweet flavors of Rosh Hashanah for this little bun. Soft challah filled with apples, raisins, and a vibrant honey caramel. Caramelizing the honey will give some umpf to the honey flavor so that it really comes through. Make this recipe with your favorite challah recipe or use ours from our challah croissant recipe.

Recipe:

For the dough
​1 batch of challah dough divided into balls of 100g

For the filling
4 cups of peeled and thinly diced apples
1/2 cup raisins
8 tablespoons honey
9 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter, cubed (or margarine if you're going dairy free)
pinch of salt
teaspoon vanilla

For the eggwash
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, whisked

Directions:

Make one batch of challah dough and set aside to proof.

In a saucepan, bring sugar and honey to a low boil. Don't stir while this heats.

Once sugar-honey mixture starts bubbling, add cubed butter/margarine. let melt and bring up to a low boil again. 

Add salt and vanilla, then mix in apples and raisins. Stir well so apples and raisins are all coated in the syrup mixture.

Let apples and raisins cook for about 5 minutes at medium heat. Allow liquid to boil again. Once the liquid has reduced and begun to darken, remove from heat. This whole process should take about 10 minutes. If there is too much liquid, allow to cook a little longer.

Using greased pastry rings or a muffin tin, load several spoonfuls of apple filling into each and set in the freezer. Leave for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until solid.

15 minutes before removing your apple mixture from the freezer, divide your challah dough into rounds of 100g each. Form into balls, cover, and let rest.

After 15 minutes, remove apple inserts from the freezer. Use a knife to loosen the edges and push the apple inserts out.

Flatten your balls of dough and put an apple insert in the middle of each. 

Fold up the sides of the dough and pinch to close.

Put each bun seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Using a pastry brush (or your finger if you don't have one), give each bun an egg wash.

Let buns proof for 1 1/2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 170c

Give buns a second egg wash.

Using a scissors, dip points of the scissors into water or remaining egg wash to prevent sticking. Snip points in a circle in the middle of each bun. Optionally put decorative sesame or poppy seeds in the middle of the points.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Let cool and serve!