Method:

• Dissolve the yeast and teaspoon of honey in the lukewarm water.
• Once bubbles start to appear, add about a third of the flour, followed by the two eggs, the rest of the honey, the salt and the oil.
• Get your hands into the dough and combine the mixture, adding flour little by little as you go, until you get a big ball of dough which doesn’t stick to your hands. 
• Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and knead the dough about for five to ten minutes, adding a bit of flour if it gets too sticky again, before placing the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with cling film.
• l Leave to rise for about an hour and a half or until dough has doubled in size.
• l Roll out the honey dough, long and flat, on a floured surface using a rolling pin and then cut long strips (approximately 5cm wide) using a sharp knife.
• Place small pieces of apple down the middle of each strip of dough and fold the strip together up and around the apple.
• Braid together three strips of apple-filled dough in the usual way and shape the braid like the outer part of an apple on a lined baking tray (you might find it helpful to draw the apple shape first on to the baking paper, using a pencil).
• Continue to fill the inside of the apple shape using the apple-filled braids until you have a full apple-shaped challah.
• Add a small braid as a stalk and a flat oval piece of dough as a leaf.
• Finally, egg-wash the apple-shaped challah, using the white of the egg for a golden finish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 180° C (350°F, gas mark 5).
• For more information or to book a place at a Challah Mummy braiding workshop, email challahmummy@gmail.com

Instagram: @challahmummy