How to Make an Apple Leaf Challah for Rosh Hashanah

Shaped like a delicate crown of leaves, each leaf on this challah is hand-formed for a look that’s both rustic and elegant.

What you need:

300 grams challah dough, plus 50 grams extra, after the first rise

1 egg, beaten in a small bowl

1/3 cup poppy seeds in a small, wide bowl

A bowl of water

A small paintbrush

Chopsticks

Step 1: Prep

Lay out a baking pan fitted with a piece of parchment paper.

Divvy up the challah dough into 20 balls, each weighing around 15 grams each. Set on the side of your workspace.

Flour your main work surface and press or roll each ball out into a small circle. Flour both sides to prevent sticking.

Slice each circle in half to create the leaf shape. (Each circle makes 2 small leaves!)

Step 2: Make the big leaves

Set out eight leaves, and your water, poppy seeds, and egg.

Lay out the first two leaves, overlapping on the bottom (like a Pac-Man).

For the next two leaves, dip your finger into the water and brush onto one side of each of them, making sure to cover the whole surface. Dip in poppy seeds.

Arrange them, overlapping, on top of the first two leaves, working downwards. Set up two more leaves, overlapping each other, over the poppy seed leaves.

Lastly, once again wet two leaves and dip in poppy seeds, then set up, overlapping, over the plain leaves. You’ve created a large leaf comprised of two plain leaves, then two poppy seed, two plain, two poppy seed.

Take the chopsticks, arrange them at the center of the large leaf, and press down strongly to connect all leaves together.

Step 3: Make the stem

Make the stem by taking a small piece of dough, from the 50 extra grams, and rolling it into a rope, a little longer than the large leaf. Keep one end pointy and taper off the finishing end, pressing your thumb to finish it off into a square edge. Keep the stem thin because it will rise while baking!

Dip your paintbrush into egg and swipe the center line where you pressed down with the chopsticks (this acts as glue), and lay down the leaf stem.

Repeat to create five large leaves.

Step 4: Create the wreath

Gently transfer the large leaves one by one to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them overlapping each other in a circle.

Fix and arrange any straying leaves and push them inwards (when the challah bakes they like to fan out).

Step 5: Bake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dip the paintbrush into the egg and brush any challah that doesn’t have poppy seeds on it. Let rise for 35 to 45 minutes.

Bake until golden, and let cool. Enjoy at your holiday table!

Photography by Shoshi Sirkis

Styling by Anat Lobel

About the author

Estelle Chait

4 articles • 71 recipes

Estee Chait was raised on the island of Kauai. As a teen, she began working at the local bakeries and it was there, amid chocolate chips and Kailua cookies, that she found a love for the kitchen. Her travels have taken her across the world- from Spain and Morocco, to the heart of the Middle East. Currently living the country life in Israel, Estee works as a full time mamma, a part-time chef, and writes for her blog soulandstreusel.com. Join her in the kitchen, a place to cook together and create.

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