T-minus ten days until we welcome the Jewish New Year!
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the new year, to which we all hope will be extra sweet. The theme of sweetness is illustrated through our palate during the festivities. In the Jewish tradition, we’re all about celebrating and symbolizing with food, right? I took on the challenge by bringing two traditions to the forefront in the form of a contemporary family-style offering.
First, honey is a staple holiday ingredient — as kids, we’d dip apple slices directly into jars of honey to literally usher in a year full of sweetness! I can still remember my sticky fingers after indulging in the treat. A second significant symbol is the circle, which marks the circle of life and its never-ending cycle of the seasons. Challah, the bread of our tradition, is traditionally braided; yet on Rosh Hashanah, we prepare it in a round shape!
Thus, I’ve taken my favorite challah recipe by a sweet family friend Ellen “Mimi” Salky and transformed its foundation into a pull-apart monkey bread with honey and cinnamon. The angel food cake mold achieves the round shape perfectly.
To inspire both this recipe and our upcoming Rosh Hashanah spread as a whole, I took a stroll through the just-enhanced kosher section of Kroger’s Mendenhall location in Memphis.
While every Kroger labels a clear section of its kosher offerings, this location’s section has evolved into an expansive array of dry goods, both sweet and savory! Sure, you’ll find a variety of matzah brands and enough Manischevitz wine for the entire synagogue, but Kroger also offers everyday household items to make weeknight meals and special occasions even sweeter. I spotted a jar of apple butter next to the honey on a shelf — wouldn’t that serve as a perfect compliment to this challah? Try it!
Serves 12
Prepare challah dough through step 4.
Grease a bundt pan or springform pan.
Divide challah dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll into balls and place on lined baking sheet.
Place 1 layer of challah dough balls into the bottom of pan. Be sure it completely covers the bottom. Add a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon. Continue layering challah pieces, cinnamon and honey until all dough balls are in place.
Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake 30-40 minutes, or until surface is golden brown. If the surface browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
Allow to cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter or cake stand.
This post is brought to you by Kroger. Thank you for being supportive of my sponsors!
