With fall in almost full swing (hey, I can definitely see red leaves at this point of time) and the Jewish high holidays right around the corner, my desire to make and bake is definitely increasing.
I saw a video recently of this woman making amazing shapes of bread and thought to myself ‘I wanna play with dough too’, so I did. I decided to go for the apples and honey concept since it’s not only fall related but it’s also a perfect fit for the Jewish New Year – Rosh Hashanah.
I must say, that although I don’t consider myself a religious person, I just LOVE the traditions of the Jewish religion. Celebrating the new year with family and friends and awesome food that of course symbolizes different things.
One example is the honey and apple. In Rosh Hashanah we serve apples and honey at the table, the kids love it, we love it, it tastes so good and it is a symbol of a blessing for a sweet year to come ahead. So the way I see it it’s a win-win.
In fact, the Jewish New Year is one of my all-time favorite holidays, I find that although I don’t have my family nearby, I still enjoy the atmosphere of the holiday, the cooler evenings and the fact that we gather around with friends and wish each other a happy and sweet new year.
Having said all that about the honey and apples and happiness, these flower shaped buns are pure joy 😉
Regardless of your religion or traditions, these are a smash hit when it comes to something special to serve at the table. They incorporate apples, honey and bread – I mean, come on, does it get any better than this? oh wait, it does, pass the butter please.
- 350gr Whole Wheat Flour
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ Tbsp + 1 ½ Tbsp Honey (divided)
- ¼ Cup + ½ Cup Warm Water (divided)
- 1 Tbsp Dry Yeast
- 1 Apple - Peeled and diced into small cubes
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Tbsp Boiling Hot Water
- In a small bowl, place the Yeast with ½ Tbsp honey and ¼ cup warm water and stir. Set aside for about 10 minutes until foam forms).
- In the meantime, prepare the rest of the dough by placing the flour, oil, 1 ½ Tbsp honey and diced apple in a stand mixer bowl.
- Add in the yeast mixture and start mixing on low-medium speed with the knead attachment. Gradually add the additional ½ cup warm water while stirring until a soft and a bit sticky dough forms (about 3 minutes).
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes and then place back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until the dough almost doubles in size.
- Preheat the oven to 185C (365F) and layer a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After about 45 minutes, dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch it to deflate it.
- Divide into 9 pieces and start shaping. You can shape into any bun shape.
- For flower shape, follow the images below (roll the dough, flatten a bit, cut edges of roll, roll into a spiral).
- place shaped buns onto the baking sheet and cover all with clean kitchen towel and set aside for 30-35 minutes in a warm place to let the buns rise.
- After 30-35 minutes, place in the preheated oven and bake for 17-20 minutes until the buns are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on them.
- While the buns are baking make the honey syrup to brush them with, by mixing together the honey and boiling hot water.
- Once the buns are out of the oven, brush them with the syrup while they’re still hot and let cool.
